How one agent became stress-savvy

Sarah is a successful real estate agent who has developed effective coping skills to manage day-to-day stress and maintain her wellbeing. Here’s her story.

Stress can feel like an inherent part of any agent’s job, but it shouldn’t overwhelm you.

Sarah, a big-city agent, learned early in her career that ignoring the stress of chasing the deal was not sustainable. In her pursuit to be a million-dollar agent, she began to recognise warning signs that she was becoming overwhelmed by the pressure of client calls and buyer demands.

Changes in her sleeping patterns were an early indicator, she recalls. Consistently waking at 3 a.m. for no apparent reason was a signal she was having a tough time switching off. She would feel tired during the day, and it wouldn’t be long before her desire and motivation began to ebb. 

Sarah says she needed to find out what was happening: How could she become so listless and disinterested in her dream job?

Stress management

After doing some reading, she started breathing exercises and made sure there were short, clear moments of calm that punctuated her day. She’d use deep, slow breathing techniques to centre herself before important meetings or after a particularly challenging conversation.An app for guided meditation helped her switch off and manage her anxiety. She reflects now on how stress management was crucial to her ability to cope.As Sarah became more comfortable with her new habits to ease stress, she started setting boundaries to manage her time. Sarah says she began to plan her day carefully, prioritising tasks and allocating specific time blocks for different activities.Most of her boundaries aimed to protect her from client behaviours. “I wasn’t going to be on call 24/7,” she says.

Support of family and friends

Now, she believes “having good boundaries” is a healthy part of keeping client and personal relationships sustainable.Sarah says she makes an additional effort to communicate clearly and carefully with clients so they understand that non-urgent inquiries will not be handled outside of business hours. These types of calls had triggered her anxiety and were one of the reasons for her inability to switch off.She credits the support of friends and family in helping her manage work stress, as talking about her workday and how she was handling the pressures significantly “lightened the load”.Connection with others has been scientifically proven to be one of the greatest coping tools for mental health, and when facing particularly challenging situations, Sarah doesn’t hesitate to talk to a trusted friend or even her doctor.Her newly discovered self-awareness took her down new paths, with physical health becoming a cornerstone of her stress management. Today, she enjoys swimming and jogging as part of her routine. These activities help her stay physically active and maintain a healthy balance between work and wellbeing.Negative emotions have been pushed out of her life, too. Sarah says she now greets emotional reactions without judgment and focuses on maintaining a positive mindset. Actively closing down negative self-talk has worked wonders, she says, and has significantly improved her ability to cope with stress.

Sarah’s 10 tips for handling stress

1. Watch for your own stress signals. Interrupted sleep, low energy levels and mood swings are big ones.

2. Prioritise relaxation techniques. Make time in your daily routine for short breaks for deep breathing or meditation. 

3. Be the master of your time. Plan your day to allocate specific time for different activities. 

4. Protect personal time. Set work hours and set expectations with your clients. 

5. Cultivate connections. Make time for supportive relationships with friends, family and colleagues. Don’t hesitate to share your feelings. 

6. Invest in your physical health. Maintain healthy sleeping, eating and exercise habits. 

7. Practice self-compassion. Recognise that stress is a normal part of the industry and be kind to yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed. 

8. Develop healthy coping tools and hobbies. Engage in activities you enjoy outside of work to help you relax and recharge. 

9. Don’t hesitate to seek professional support. Talking to a therapist or counsellor can provide valuable guidance and strategies for managing stress. 

10. Take time to reflect. Consider what has helped you in the past and draw on those experiences.

*Sarah is a fictional character. Her experiences are based on research.