9 Tips for Real Estate Agents to Manage Their Mindset During A Downturn

Dan Argent of UrbanX looks at the best tips to take care of your mental, physical and spiritual state during a downturn.

We’re told that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

This can be applied to you mental state as much as your physical.

And while most people can maintain a positive outlook in short bursts, when the news is constantly bad, staying on top of your mindset is draining.

But managing your upbeat attitude during a downturn is essential.

Being a beacon of positivity attracts people – particularly clients – to you.

During the GFC, talking about my successes and chatting about the impressive results I was achieving during the downturn earned me plenty of listings.

Sellers, like everyone else, want a good news story to lean on when the rest of the world is grey.

If you’re having trouble keeping a brave face, I’ve come up with nine practical steps you can adopt to maintain your winning smile and sunny disposition.

1. Don’t watch the news

The mainstream media model is based on attracting an audience, and the easiest way to do that is to home in on sensationalised, and often deeply negative, stories.

You’ve heard the saying – if it bleeds, it leads.

So, stop the cycle. Don’t read the news.

This will help you stay mentally on top of your depressive mood and don’t worry about missing essential stories.

Really important information will reach you in other ways such as through conversation with friends or discussions with clients.

2. Avoid social media

This should be mandatory even when we’re not in times of downturn.

Social media can be a useful tool, but there are two main problems with it.

Firstly, it’s unregulated and untrustworthy.

Secondly, it’s full of viscous commentators who will bring your mood down.

For example, Twitter or Facebook are full of plenty of amateur ‘practitioners’ describing made up remedies that’ll cure COVID.

They will create nothing but disappointment.

A scroll through those same platforms will also reveal just how nasty some people can be.

Stay away from the comments section lest you be dragged into the dark void.

3. Read books that inspire you

Smartphone screens seem to have ruined proper reading as a recreational pursuit, but I can tell you from experience, nothing is as uplifting as reading a great book by an inspirational source.

Whoever your heroes might be – political, sporting, business or everyday community minded people – look for books that help drive you forward with a, ‘Yes I can!’ attitude.

4. Exercise every day

One of my favourite sayings is, ‘to change your emotion, change you motion.’

There’s nothing that turns around washed-out feelings like exercise.

Before I started my business, I was working flat out doing deals but ignoring my physical health. I soon discovered this was a huge mistake.

Now, every day, I make time for an hour’s exercise, and you should too. It oxygenates the body, exerts the muscles and stretches your range of motion.

Afterwards you’ll feel refreshed, exhilarated and ready to take on the world.

5. Meditate

Meditation is a practice there’s far too little of in the western world, but I consider it a gift that keeps driving me forward.

Taking a moment to stop, breath and be self-aware is essential.

Meditation trains your mind to be stronger.

You learn how to be mentally resilient, helping you to stay ‘mind fit’ and giving you the ability to block out the negative things thrown at you during the day.

I began meditation with just a few minutes at first but gradually built up to where I now meditate for half an hour twice a day. It’s incredible how centred it keeps me.

6. Have a gratitude journal

A gratitude journal can be something formal, something online or even just an exercise book you pick up from the newsagent.

The practice is simple to adopt. Every day you must simply write down three things that you’re grateful for, with a daily habit of reflecting on what you wrote as well.

They can be anything – from the ability to catch up with a friend to having had an excellent coffee at your favourite café.

Taking a moment to realise just how fortunate you are sets you up to radiate positive vibes to others.

7. Surround yourself with positive people

They can be difficult to find sometimes, but I tell you, we’re out there.

It’s said that your attitude is a reflection of your five closest friends. In other words, the company you keep helps mould the person you are.

So – be among a crowd who are eager to find the upside.

If your work or social group are talking about how successful they’ve been of late, or even share tales of the great stuff they’ve seen each day, then this is the crew for you.

8. Focus on what you can control and ignore the rest

The stuff that will influence you today can be divided into two camps – things you can control, and things you can’t.

There’s an old Irish blessing I know. While I’m not a religious man, this one holds true:

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Changing things you can gives you control. That control feeds your mental power and this power fuels positivity.

9. Have goals and celebrate them every day

Finally – goals and rewards must be a daily habit.

Set big, medium and small goals, and make sure you celebrate with accordingly sized rewards when you achieve them.

Write your goals down and let them fuel your fire.

If your big goal will be rewarded with something substantial, then print out a brochure or look at videos of your longed-for reward.

It will pick you up when you’re feeling defeated.

Staying positive during this time, or any time for that matter, is good for your health and your business.

Apply these strategies and you’ll be raring to go each day knowing you’re one step closer to the other side of the crisis and further along your path of success.