This May marks Inman’s sixth annual Agent Appreciation Month. Look for profiles of top producers, opinions on the current state of the industry and tangible takeaways you can implement in your career today. Plus, the prestigious Future Leaders of Real Estate return this month, too.
This article was updated May 7, 2025.
Ever find yourself staring blankly at your screen, dreading client calls or snapping at teammates (or family) for no apparent reason? Yeah, that’s burnout, my friend. We often joke around the office that the joy of real estate is that we can work whatever 70 hours a week we want. Our biz is notorious for long hours, high stakes and constant pressure — perfect conditions for stress and overwhelm.
While it’s not unusual for people to proudly proclaim, “I work better under pressure,” that’s misleading. First, it’s often said that because we are under pressure so often, we don’t know what it feels like to perform without it.
Second, in hustle culture, being under pressure makes you look important, and only a “slacker” can’t handle pressure like a pro.
Please. If you are committed to that view, then stop reading. If you think you are the statistical anomaly that works better when frustrated, angry, pressured and frantic, then have fun with your bad self.
For the rest of us, we are going to operate like the Navy SEALs and understand that being calm, grounded and centered under pressure is the most effective path to performance. Retired Navy SEAL Commander Jon Macaskill advocates mindfulness, sharing how these practices significantly enhance resilience, clarity and decision-making, particularly under high stress.
That’s why mindfulness isn’t some trendy, woo-woo distraction. It’s the difference between thriving and just surviving. Agents who practice mindfulness consistently outperform their overwhelmed peers. A study published by the American Psychological Association shows that professionals practicing mindfulness experience significantly lower stress and burnout, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction. Additionally, National Institutes of Health research indicates mindfulness leads to better performance and emotional resilience.
The science behind stress and mindfulness
Stress is a killer, not just of joy but of productivity. When you’re stressed, your body floods with cortisol and adrenaline, triggering fight-or-flight responses. These are great for escaping lions but terrible for negotiating offers. In Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman reveals that chronic stress significantly impairs decision-making, memory and emotional control.
Mindfulness combats this by strengthening your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for clear thinking and decision-making. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs prove that sustained mindfulness practice dramatically reduces stress and enhances emotional resilience.
Think of mindfulness as clearing your mental cache — everything runs smoother, faster and without crashing.
3 ways mindfulness gives agents the edge
1. Emotional resilience under pressure
Nobody needs to tell us that real estate is filled with daily setbacks: lost deals, difficult clients or challenging negotiations. Not to mention the way the last few years have over-performed in delivering uncertainty and chaos to our lives.
Mindfulness gives you emotional shock absorbers. Harvard neuroscientist Sara Lazar’s research found that mindfulness actually increases gray matter density in brain areas associated with emotional regulation. This means less reactive anger, anxiety and frustration — and faster recovery from setbacks.
In real-world terms, you shake off a bad deal faster. You are more readily equipped to handle market fluctuations, so you’re ready to bounce back and close the next one confidently.
2. Enhanced clarity and decision-making
Ever feel your mind is racing too fast to make solid decisions? That’s because sometimes it is. And unless you have practices to slow it down, you are sentencing yourself to a life of lower performance than is necessary.
Mindfulness quiets that mental chatter, improving clarity, memory and critical thinking. Research from Psychological Science confirms mindfulness practice enhances cognitive flexibility and reduces bias in decision-making.
In negotiations, mindfulness translates into rapid, precise and confident decisions. Navy SEALs famously use “box breathing,” a mindfulness technique to improve clarity and composure under pressure.
3. Improved client relationships and empathy
Mindfulness increases empathy, a vital skill in real estate (that the agent on the other side of the transaction is all too often missing). Shauna Shapiro’s work highlights how mindfulness training significantly boosts empathy and interpersonal effectiveness.
Imagine instantly connecting with stressed clients, easily navigating emotional swings and smoothly managing tough conversations (with the aforementioned other agent).
Mindfulness is your emotional Wi-Fi — clearer signals, stronger connections and zero dropped calls.
Practical mindfulness techniques for busy agents
Here’s the good news: Mindfulness doesn’t require hours of meditation. Even short, practical exercises significantly improve performance:
- Breath awareness: Spend three minutes focusing on breathing to reset your stress response.
- Body scans: Quickly scan your body to notice tension and consciously relax tense areas before critical meetings.
- Walking meditation: Take mindful steps between appointments, noticing your surroundings to clear mental clutter.
Try this five-minute mindfulness reset for agents.
Who it’s for:
Real estate professionals on the verge of burnout, between high-stakes showings or needing a mental tune-up before that next appointment.
When to use it:
- Right before a listing presentation
- After a difficult client call
- When you’re spiraling from too many tabs open (in your brain and browser)
- Midday, between appointments
- End of the day, to close your mental tabs
The reset routine (5 minutes total)
1. Box breathing: 1 minute
Used by Navy SEALs before combat to ground themselves. You’re not dodging bullets, but that inspection contingency might feel like it.
- Inhale for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds
- Exhale for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds
- Repeat for 4 cycles
2. Sensory grounding: 2 minutes
Get out of your head and into your body. Find five things you can:
- See
- Hear
- Feel
- Smell
- (Optional) Taste, if applicable (coffee counts)
Say them out loud or in your head. This slows the mind and resets your awareness.
3. Micro-mindfulness body scan: 1 minute
- Close your eyes (or keep a soft focus).
- Start at the crown of your head.
- Slowly scan your body downward, noticing any tension or holding.
- On each out-breath, imagine releasing it.
- No judgment. Just awareness and release.
4. Intention setting: 1 minute
Ask yourself:
- What state do I want to bring to the next moment?
- Who do I want to be in this call/meeting?
Then say:
“I choose to meet the next moment with clarity, calm and confidence.”
Or make up your own that actually resonates.
Bonus: Turn it into a habit
Stick this in your Notes app, screenshot it and tape it to your dashboard. Do it daily for one week, and watch what changes.
Mindfulness: Your sustainable competitive advantage
Mindfulness isn’t about doing less — it’s about performing smarter, clearer and happier. You’ve earned a career that doesn’t feel like daily crisis management.
Just like Navy SEALs, mindful agents stay poised, purposeful and powerful in every moment. Stress less, sell more — that’s your mindful agent edge.
Aaron Hendon is a mindfulness and performance coach. Connect with Aaron on Instagram and LinkedIn.
