María Matos (Fotocasa): “Caressing my cat is almost a ritual of emotional regulation, it is my daily way of reminding myself that not everything is urgent”

María Matos (Vigo) is a journalist by training and, since 2020, Director of Studies and spokesperson for Fotocasa, one of the most influential observatories for understanding the housing market in Spain. Accustomed to analyzing data, anticipating trends and putting words to one of the country’s great social debates, Matos affirms that her work requires constant dedication and a rhythm that is difficult to switch off when the day ends, and that what helps her most to disconnect is returning to what is essential: silence, the body, the family and the small daily rituals. From yoga and surfing to travel, reading or a few daily minutes of calm with his cat, he advocates the need to lower the noise to regain clarity, energy and balance in the midst of an always full agenda.P. Do you find it difficult to disconnect? A. Yes, sometimes it’s hard for me to disconnect. That is why I believe that we must listen carefully to our body and learn to recognize those symptoms that, as my admired Marian Rojas would say, alert us that we are flooding ourselves with cortisol and it is necessary to stop. Q. Is it more about disconnecting alone or in company? A. As a good Galician I am going to answer that it depends. I usually do it alone, because I understand that to truly disconnect, lower the noise, listen to yourself and regain clarity it is necessary to be, basically because you don’t have to adapt to anyone. But doing it accompanied, when the company is appropriate, provides a different calm, based on trust. I believe that far from being opposite, they are complementary, each one depends on the moment you are living.P. What do you like to do when you are not talking about housing, prices and rents? A. What I like most is being with my family and friends. Well… and with my cat. It is the space where I really disconnect, where I return to the essentials and recharge my energy. However, I am not with them as much as I would like. My work involves traveling very frequently and, in addition, requires constant dedication to study and analysis. Even when the day is over and I get home, I often have reports to read, data to review, or contexts to prepare. Housing is such a sensitive issue that it cannot be addressed part-time.Q. How do you take care of yourself? A. I don’t do anything extraordinary, really. I try to keep habits simple and constant. I exercise regularly, I don’t smoke or drink alcohol, and I try to eat a balanced diet. I think I’m also somewhat lucky because I’m not particularly fond of sweets, so I have that temptation quite under control without effort. More than great rituals, I take care of myself through daily coherence. Of course, when I don’t have to set the alarm, I feel like I take better care of myself than ever.P. What sports do you practice? A. In Madrid I mainly practice yoga and, when my schedule allows it, I go running. Yoga has become almost a necessity, it is the space where I find physical and mental balance in the midst of a rather frenetic work pace. But when I return to my homeland, almost always in summer, the sea rules. I surf whenever I can. I had the privilege of growing up next to the sea and, furthermore, my brother is a great surfer, so sharing the waves with him has something very special. I also ride horses. Horse riding has been part of my life since I was a child, it was my mother who taught me how to ride. Both are one of those passions that are not learned only as a sport, but as a family bond and as a way of understanding nature and freedom.P. When you can travel, what do you look for: rest, culture or adventure? A. The act of traveling, in itself, already seems to me to be an act of culture because it involves exposing yourself to different realities and leaving your comfort zone. Change the language, the food, the architecture, the rhythms and also the priorities, and all of this educates the gaze. I try to make all my trips have a little bit of everything: culture, rest and also some adventure. But the reality is that, since I am quite restless, rest is usually what has the least weight in the end. I like to move, discover, understand the places I visit and take advantage of my time, so even when I travel to disconnect I end up filling my days with plans.P. What trip has marked you the most? A. Well, I’m going to tell you two countries in Southeast Asia that fascinated me, Thailand and Indonesia. In both I felt something common, a culture that is not observed from the outside, but rather experienced. They are all intense emotions, sounds, smells, flavors… They are places that pass through you spiritually, overwhelm you in the landscape and teach you another way of inhabiting time and life.P. What is that small daily pleasure that you don’t give up? A. I don’t give up something very simple, every day I dedicate a few minutes to petting my cat. It is almost a ritual of emotional regulation. In the midst of the intensity, the decisions, the interviews and the constant demand, that moment forces me to slow down. She doesn’t understand agendas or stress, only presence. And that pause, so small and so silent, brings me back to balance. It’s my daily way of reminding myself that not everything is urgent. Q. What did you dream of being when you were little? A. Journalist. I think it was from the age of six when, for Three Kings, they gave me a silver microphone with a cable that was plugged into a kind of little box that amplified your voice when you spoke. It fascinated me. I loved to imitate the presenters and reporters on TV. Maybe that toy awakened my vocation.P. Kitchen? R. Cook? More for survival than for vocation. It’s not that I’m passionate about putting on an apron and experimenting with exotic spices… My thing is more to open the refrigerator, assess the damage, and resolve the situation with dignity. I cook because you have to eat and, while we’re at it, I try to make it something more elaborate than yogurt with a spoon straight from the container. Let’s say that my relationship with the kitchen is practical, zero romanticism, maximum efficiency. If one day you see me enjoying myself in the kitchen… be suspicious.P. What music do you listen to when you need to stop? A. In those moments I choose music that moves my attention from the mind to the body. I love electronic music, especially house and techno, because it has that hypnotic touch that clears your mental noise in five minutes. I’m also very into international pop to sing without thinking too much. And if the day has been especially intense, I rev it up with something more chill or instrumental that transports me away, even if only mentally. The key is to change my frequency. If it moves me inside, it has already done its job.P. What type of people inspire you outside of the professional field? A. I am especially inspired by thinkers. The classical and also contemporary philosophers who have dedicated their lives to asking themselves uncomfortable questions and trying to understand the world in depth. I am very interested in this ability to go beyond the obvious, to question what is established and to provide frameworks for reflection that are still valid centuries later. I am also inspired by people with a strong social significance, who have assumed collective responsibilities in complex moments and, above all, those who stand out for their human quality. Consistent people, with strong values, who act with integrity even when no one is looking.P. What have you learned through hardships or disappointments? R. Well, I don’t have to attend all the discussions they invite me to. There was a time when I let myself be affected by everything, I thought that defending my point of view was almost like a matter of honor. Over time I learned that peace is not for those who are right, but for those who know how to remain silent. Our energy is limited and too valuable to spend trying to convince others that they are wrong.Q. Do you like to read? What book are you reading now? A. Of course I like to read. In fact, I need to read. It is my way of organizing ideas and broadening my perspective. And I trust, almost as an act of cultural resistance, that the paper book will not be replaced. There is something in the physical object, in the underlining and the silence that accompanies it, that no screen can fully replicate. I am not a novel reader, I prefer essays, texts that invite you to think, to question, to dialogue with the author. When I need fiction I prefer cinema. Right now I am reading the support books for the Executive MBA subjects that I am taking at Esade and I don’t have time for more.Q. What does happiness mean to you? A. It is a state of mind and a decision. Not because circumstances don’t matter, of course they influence, but because the way we interpret what happens to us is more important than what happens to us itself. It is a conscious attitude towards life, choosing what you focus on, choosing gratitude, choosing serenity, deciding to be happy, in short. You can consult the rest of the interviews in this section here.