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Do You Have a Calm Corner?

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty 0575737

LucyThe modern day world is full of stress and strain. The expression stop the world I want to get off seems more and more appropriate each year. In the early years of the telephone it became an annoyance by telemarketers ringing it at the dinner hour. Now the curse of the cell phone is it can track you down anywhere with a call and with GPS technology even pin point your location. No wonder we all want to retreat to the deep woods and get unplugged now and then.

I want to talk about a consequence of this speeded up world that can hit us at any point in life. It is a heightened form of fear. Think of it as being overwhelmed.

                    I am talking about "PANIC."

We may have experienced it at various points in our life. You know when it sets in as the mind locks up and doesn't know what to do. I know I have experienced it when driving a car on ice and it slid out of control towards a concrete bridge guard rail. Also, one time a horse I owned was tied up incorrectly to a metal fence and was spooked and ran off with the fence section dragging behind it. I thought the world was about to end. Your heart beats faster and your mind goes blank.

Panic rocking

 

For those who get clinical panic attacks it can take the form of uncontrollable rocking, back and forth.

You just want to scream, not knowing what to do.

Scream

Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel. For ordinary panic the ride is a short one before it subsides. You need a place to retreat to in order to re-think what happened, and to process your feelings.

Metaphorically speaking, stressed out buyers and sellers of real estate come to a REALTOR as that calm place to stop panicking when all sorts of twists and turns occur during a transaction. They lose a bid on the house, the prospective buyer is low balling the seller and insulting him. The lender does not approve your loan. How could they? You're a good person. Lots of fun and games. Throughout it all the REALTOR is the calm intermediary between all parties. They are a CALM CORNER.

Calm corner

 

Physically and emotionally, you also need a calm corner in your life. This may be a quiet room in your home. It may be a retreat away from your normal world. It may be getting together with that one true friend in your life as a sounding board, family or otherwise. It may be immersing yourself in music or nature. Someplace where you can achieve calmness, peace and a sense of your spirituality. It will help you overcome any stress, fears and panic that the world hurls at you.

                  KNOW WHERE YOUR CALM CORNER IS.

Visit it often !!! Where's yours?

 

C. Bartch
Newark, OH

Hi again Gary,

I'm familiar w/ those panic attacks, while I've not experienced them myself I have been in the company of others who have. I cannot imagine how awful that is. I'm just glad I can be there for them in whatever capacity it may be to get them through it.

I have tons of quiet places, some are too silly to share while others such as painting, jewelry making, looking at the scenery & nature calm me. I can watch a frog hop around a good 15 minutes or so.

Thanks for posting!

Apr 17, 2008 11:59 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector
Gary, does Active Rain count?  Sometimes pulling over in the car and taking a nap is good:)
Apr 17, 2008 12:03 PM
Rosario Lewis
DDR Realty - Newburgh, NY
GRI, SRES - DDR Realty - Orange County, NY
My calm place in pleasant weather is my deck and garden. In winter I take it in from an easy chair by a picture window.
Apr 17, 2008 12:53 PM
Deb Brooks
Brooks Prime Properties Wichita Falls Texas - Wichita Falls, TX
Gary, does AR constitute a corner? I hope so. When I am able to boot this (gorgeous new) machine up and say hello to my dear friends it becomes my solace. My rest. My healing. My time. It's good. I am assuming yours is too? Later in the rain~Deb
Apr 17, 2008 01:00 PM
Sandy Nelson
Riley Jackson Real Estate Inc. - Olympia, WA
your Olympia area Realtor

My calm corner is in my bathtub. Not everyone can get to their physical "calm place" whenever panic or stress sets in. That's when it's helpful to be able to imagine being in the "calm space". It's a couple of deep breaths, eyes closed, visualizing a tranquil and safe location and it's instant relief.

Sandy

Apr 17, 2008 01:07 PM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
My calm corner is right about now after a long day of work and stress....sitting and reading some of my favorite bloggers!  Guess who??  : )
Apr 17, 2008 02:04 PM
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.
Good post gary...and also a good idea.  With the stress of this job, we need to take a min. and find ourselves
Apr 17, 2008 02:07 PM
Mara Hawks
First Realty Auburn - Auburn, AL
Inactive-2012 REALTOR - Homes for Sale Auburn Real Estate, AL
Fun Fotoes, once again! Have you ever seen those desktop, mini zen gardens? I had one last year (until someone's child came in when I wasn't there & it left sand all over my desk). It had a tiny beach chair, ball, umbrella... a calming zen garden... that's easy. (now, can you say a-ro-ma-ther-a-py? ;-)
Apr 17, 2008 02:49 PM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Carole: Warm to hot water is soothing for the soul.

Cynthia: Interesting corners for you. I must admit I have hunted toads for fun to put them in a box.

Charles: Napping is good. Active Rain is invigorating for sure.

Rosario: You have found a place of peace, I can tell with the deck.

Debra: Active Rain is therapy for us readers and writers and sharing with friends for sure.

Sandy: Tranquil and safe I think are the key like you said. Lots of bathtub locations here. Maybe that is why it is a focused on room in the house.

Barbara: Kind words, thanks. Glad some reading is a good calm spot for you at the end of the day. It is for me too.

William: Finding ourselves is a great way to put it. Kind of like making time to think.

Mara: Cool, a zen garden. Looking at that could provide some peace. Aromatherapy. Now another bathtub and candle visual I have in my mind. Maybe this is the REALTOR secret for unwinding I've discovered : )

Apr 17, 2008 03:12 PM
Steve Homer
The HBH Group (Keller Williams affiliate) - Round Rock, TX

I go to my son's high school baseball games 2-3 days a week and turn OFF my phone (sacrilege I know!).  LOL  This builds my relationship with him and I get some relaxation out of the deal as well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDhGqQNrm1w

Apr 18, 2008 12:12 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth
Steve: Great video. Turning the cell phone off is totally ok. Don't let it rule your life. You have time blocked personal time with your son which keeps that relationship healthy and gives you a calm corner.
Apr 18, 2008 12:46 AM
Joey Remondino
RE/MAX Preferred Properties - Vienna, VA
Broker, GRI, E-Pro
My calm corner is alone on a basketball court with only my thoughts.
Apr 18, 2008 01:02 AM
C. Bartch
Newark, OH
Alright Gary, so we know you read the Word and play basketball. Any other calm corners for you? I need to know what happened to your horse, did it get hurt?
Apr 18, 2008 01:20 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Joey: Ah, another basketball enthusiast. Cool!

Cynthia: Other calm corners for me are meditation in a quiet room, watching sports on TV or in person, running, walks in nature especially by the water, visiting the ocean, a lunch with a true friend, any kind of vacation with my family or extended family, volunteering, horseback riding, mountain climbing / hiking, and time on the computer writing.

The horse turned out fine. After dragging the metal section of fence behind it around a field the horse got wedged between a car and another fence. We had to cut off the leather bridle with a knife. He was breathing so hard from fear that blood came out of his nostrils. True panic not only on my part but also the horse's.

Apr 18, 2008 01:30 AM
Jacqueline Tolstyka
Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors - Cheboygan, MI
Realtor - Selling Beautiful Northern Michigan
Gary, I read this blog yesterday, and I took your words to heart. Today my calm corner was being outside in the beautiful spring sunshine roaming around my area taking waterfront pictures. I got out of my office for a couple of hours and just enjoyed myself. First time I've had a "skip day" in a long time.
Apr 18, 2008 03:58 PM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth
Jacqueline: Good for you! Another tip in that "skip day" is to turn that cell phone off. The world won't end. Being by any body of water I always think is relaxing.
Apr 18, 2008 04:02 PM
Liz Moras Migic
Chilliwack, BC
Chilliwack, British Columbia - Realtor
Wow Gary I haven't been on here in 2 days and I've fallen so far behind on your posts! lol....Here I am at an open house, and its quiet....so i'm catching up........I love the 'calm corner' ....especially since I've just been drafting up a post of my own on 'panic attacks'.....smile........I like your perspective i'm thinking...
Apr 19, 2008 10:03 AM
Arina Hanciulescu
RealtyPros - Las Vegas, NV
RealtyPros
Hmmmm... My "calm corner" must be when I rollerblade with Sunset on a sunny day (and they are plenty here...). Other than that must be reading your posts -:)  
Apr 19, 2008 08:57 PM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Liz: The calm corners we find not only allow us to settle down from panic but rejuvenate us mind, body, and soul. Glad I could provide something for you to do during the quiet time at the Open House.

Arina: I love rollerblading and being out with the dog too. Reading of any kind allows you to immerse yourself in your imagination and get away. Just be aware of your calm corners as you find them and visit them often. Enjoy those sunny days.

Apr 20, 2008 01:08 AM
Anonymous
Michael

There is a website www.stoppanicattacksforgood.com that offers all natural cure for panic attacks.  I personally have never had one (amazing considering I sell real estate AND have five kids).

I understand it can be devasting.  Good luck to those who experience this.

Feb 27, 2009 09:39 PM
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