Brokers turn to meditation techniques in stressful market

 
What do you do in a real estate market that is seeing sales plummet
month after month with no end in sight? More South Florida brokers are
turning to meditation to relieve the stress that goes along with a
busted real estate bubble.

“Sellers are anxious and they are making the brokers anxious,” said
Mordy Levine, founder of Meditation for Wellbeing, a meditation
training firm in Delray Beach, Fla.

“It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel because the tunnel
is so long,” he continued. “Meditation is a way to calm the mind and
reduce stress brokers deal with on a daily basis.”

Levine works with brokers, among others, to help them deal with the
stress of the current real estate market. In addition to stress
reduction, the supposed benefits of this ancient practice include peace of mind, enhanced concentration and creativity, and
better physical health.

Meditation usually involves turning your attention to a single focus, such as
your breath, a candle, a sound or some visualization technique.

“Stress and anxiety come at you in a number of different ways,” Levine
said. “One way is thinking about something that happened in the past —
or that hasn’t happened yet — and getting overly concerned about it.
Those thoughts trigger emotional responses of anxiety, fear or anger.
Meditation helps you control those.”

Monica Friedlander, a broker at Coldwell Banker whose specialty is
upscale homes in Boca Raton, was introduced to meditation at one of
Levine’s recent seminars. She decided to try meditation because
she was “very stressed out” watching deals fall apart and anticipating
the associated income loss.

Like most brokers, Friedlander still battles market anxiety, but she
said Levine’s breathing techniques help her calm down in the face of
stress. She meditates for
about five minutes each morning, and then throughout the day as the
need arises.

“I learned that we react to chatter that goes on in our heads and that
chatter can create anxiety,” Friedlander explained. “Basically, it’s
worry over things we have no control over. I learned that getting into
a quiet place and calming down helps me let go of those thoughts. It
also helps me sleep better.”

Patti Ceravolo, principal of Illustrated Luxury, a real estate
brokerage in Palm Beach Gardens, wasn’t a stranger to meditation when
she went to Levine’s seminar. But she said the seminar was a welcome
reinforcement.

“Mordy’s class reminded me how important it is to meditate,” said
Ceravolo, who meditates at least four times a week. “It clears my mind,
body and soul. I feel more creative and it clears the static.”

Levine is holding meditation seminars across South Florida. The next
installment of his “Meditation for Stress” series continues at Lynn
University in Boca Raton through January 22.