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Emotions

Diary of emotions: a detailed guide. Part 1Hello, traders 😊 Today we will talk about 📖 diary of emotions . 🏳️ This is part 1, as the topic is very voluminous. In the second part, there will be an example of a diary and consider the mistakes in its management. I know many people don't even keep a trade journal, but they don't take into account the importance of recording emotions at all. ⚡️ Perhaps, after reading this article, you will change your mind and the diary will become as routine and important for you as opening/ closing deals. Let's start with the definition: ✔️ Emotion Diary - is a structured tool for the systematic registration and analysis of a trader's psychoemotional state at key moments of the trading process: before entering a position, during its execution, and after closing . 📍 The purpose of the diary is to objectively identify correlations between emotional states and the quality of trading decisions, as well as to exclude subjective interpretations in the process of analyzing the results. It is not intended for therapy, self-reflection, or motivation. ✂️ It serves as an analytical tool that allows you to quantify the impact of psychological factors on the execution of a trading strategy, thereby reducing the likelihood of errors caused by cognitive biases (there was a recent post about some cognitive biases, it will be attached) 🔎 Theoretical basis The psychology of trading demonstrates that decisions in the market are often made not based on analysis, but under influence. ➡️ Cognitive distortions: - the effect of disposition (profit is attributed to oneself, loss to the market); - loss effect (greater reaction to loss than to equivalent profit); - confirmation effect (interpretation of data in favor of one's own beliefs). ➡️ Emotional triggers: - stress from a previous loss; - the desire to win back; - social pressure (comparison with other traders); - feeling guilty or ashamed of a mistake. 📔 Studies of behavioral economics (Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky and Richard Thaler) and neuroscience (A.Damasio) confirm that emotions influence decision-making even among experienced traders, and this influence cannot be realized without external fixation. The diary of emotions is a methodology of external cognitive support that allows to circumvent the limitations of human memory and subjective interpretation. 🔎 Diary structure: A diary can consist of several important components, each of which is designed to capture a specific aspect of a psychological state and its relationship to an action. ✏️ For example, such: 🟣 1. Date and time of the transaction: provides an emotional state link to a specific transaction and time context (session, news background). 🟣 2.Position type: long / short - allows you to analyze whether there is a dependence of emotions on the direction of the transaction (for example, fear of shorts) 🟣 3.Trading instrument and time frame of analysis: BTC/USDT, H1 - captures the context, whether the emotional state affects the choice of the instrument (for example, high volatility → increased anxiety). 🟣 4. Emotional state before entering, determine the state: calm, nervous, aggressive, tired, expectation of profit, fear of loss, doubt, indifference. Purpose: to record the basic psycho-emotional state prior to making a decision. 🟣 5. The key thought before entering. Captures the automatic thought that influenced the decision. Examples: "The market needs to bounce off this level," "I don't want to miss the last opportunity," "I lost yesterday, I'll fix everything today." Objective: to identify the cognitive biases underlying the input. 🟣 6. Emotional state during the execution of the transaction. Captures the dynamics of emotions in real time. It may differ from the state before entering, for example, "calm" → "nervous" after the stop is triggered. The goal: to determine how the price affects the emotional state, and vice versa. 🟣 7. Emotional state after closing the deal. Captures the consequences of a decision. For example: "The deal closed with a profit, but I feel empty" → indicates dependence on the result, not on the process. 🟣 8. Was there a violation of the trading plan? yes/no If "yes", it is mandatory to indicate the type of violation: entering without a signal, changing the stop loss, increasing the lot, holding a losing position, no take profit, trading outside the Kill Zone. The goal: to connect emotions with specific violations of the rules. 🟣 9. The factor that influenced the emotional state. Indicates an external or internal trigger: a previous loss, someone else's profit on the social network, lack of sleep, FOMC news, lack of a plan for the day ... Goal: to identify systemic provocateurs of emotional breakdowns. ....... 💡 The second part will be released in a few days . Leave 🚀, so I'll understand that the topic is interesting to you. Profit and discipline to all 🪙
CRYPTOCAP:BTC.D
by mari_trade
The Identity Trade“When I’m winning, I feel unstoppable. When I’m losing, I feel worthless.” That rollercoaster isn’t just emotional - it’s existential. Follow along. I hope this helps. BUT FIRST NOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It’s not a trade idea or system designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus and composure - so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS You start to merge with your results. A green day feels like proof you’re good. A red day feels like proof you’re not. The screen becomes a mirror. Every tick feels personal. Every drawdown feels like rejection. And slowly... trading stops being something you do and starts being who you are. That’s when the smallest loss hits like a character flaw and the biggest win can’t quiet the noise for long. WHY IT MATTERS When your identity fuses with your PnL, you stop managing trades and start managing your self-worth. You trade to feel whole. To feel enough. And that’s when emotional risk becomes financial risk. THE SHIFT You are not your last result. You are the awareness behind it - the one capable of learning, adapting and evolving. Next time the chart moves against you, notice what hurts more - the loss itself or what it means about you. That’s your real edge. Ask yourself: Who are you when you’re not trading?
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by soda8888
3
Old Wounds, New Trades - Echoes of the Past... “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Every time I take a loss, even a small one, I freeze. It’s like a switch flips and I feel off, I just can’t explain why” If you’ve ever felt that sudden wave of tension, self-doubt, or urgency that doesn’t quite fit the size of the trade… You’re not alone. Follow along. I hope this helps. BUT FIRST NOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It’s not a trade idea or system designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS You’re trading normally. Nothing dramatic. Then price moves against you. The heart rate spikes, breathing shortens, the body tenses. You hesitate or you overreact. Logically, it makes no sense. It’s just one trade. But the emotion feels bigger than the moment. That’s because it’s not just the market you’re responding to. It’s memory. WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON UNDERNEATH Your nervous system stores emotional imprints, moments of uncertainty, criticism, fear, failure. They don’t disappear; they get filed under “avoid this feeling.” When something in the present, like a losing trade hits a similar emotional frequency, the old file reopens. And you find yourself reacting. Not just to the market in the here and now but to an echo from the past. That echo might sound like: 🔹 “I can’t mess this up again.” 🔹 “I should’ve known better.” 🔹 “What if this proves I’m not cut out for it?” It’s not the trade that’s hurting. It’s the part of you that once felt unsafe, unseen, or not enough. HOW TO CATCH IT BEFORE IT RUNS YOU 1️⃣ Notice the size of your reaction. If it feels disproportionate, too intense for what just happened, that’s your cue. 2️⃣ Name the echo. Say quietly: “This is an old memory, not a new threat.” It separates the past from the present. 3️⃣ Ground your body. Unclench the jaw. Drop the shoulders. Breathe out longer than you breathe in. Remind your nervous system that this moment is safe. 4️⃣ Reframe the signal. The intensity isn’t weakness, it’s information. Your system is showing you where an old wound still seeks resolution. Trading doesn’t just reveal your skill. It reveals your history. And every emotional flashback you meet with awareness, is one less echo shaping your next trade.
Education
by soda8888
The Empty Feeling After A WinA trader messaged me recently after closing a big win. He said, “I should’ve felt great but I just felt… flat.” That sudden emptiness after the high it’s more common than you think. Follow along. I hope this helps. BUT FIRST NOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It’s not a trade idea or system designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure — so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS You execute beautifully. Plan followed. Risk managed. Trade hits target. Account up. You should feel satisfied. But instead… there’s a drop. The charts look dull. The mind goes searching. “Maybe one more setup.” “Just check the next pair.” That’s not greed. That’s chemistry. When you’re in a trade, your brain is flooded with dopamine the chemical of pursuit, anticipation and drive. When you exit, that hit disappears almost instantly. To the nervous system, that chemical drop feels like loss . And loss, even after a win, triggers the instinct to get it back. WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON UNDERNEATH You’re not chasing profit. You’re chasing stimulation, the feeling of being alive in the action. The mind interprets that feeling as boredom or missed opportunity. But really, it’s your biology craving more. The subconscious has learned to equate stillness with emptiness. So it pushes for movement to escape the come-down. That’s why so many traders give back profits after doing everything right. They’re not making bad decisions. They’re trying to fix a feeling. HOW TO CATCH IT BEFORE IT CATCHES YOU 1️⃣ Notice your come-down cue. After closing a trade, does your body feel restless? Do you scroll, check charts, or reopen the platform out of habit? That’s the withdrawal in motion. 2️⃣ Name it, don’t fight it. Say it internally: “This is dopamine dropping.” It takes the mystery out of the urge. 3️⃣ Breathe through the drop. A long exhale through the mouth… six seconds out tells the body it’s safe. Let your eyes rest on something still. 4️⃣ Reframe the pause. That quiet space after a win isn’t emptiness. It’s integration. It’s the moment your nervous system resets for the next run. Trading mastery isn’t just execution. It’s emotional regulation before, during and after execution. I put a lot of time and thought into every post that goes out here so I appreciate your support. Thank you
CME_MINI:NQ1!Education
by soda8888
10
The Billy Big Balls MomentA trader reached out to me by direct message here on Trading View highlighting a challenge that many of us face from time to time. We’re talking about self sabotage. That moment you know what to do - but do something entirely different and get a result that frustrates the **** out of you. Follow along, I hope this helps. BUT FIRST NOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It’s not a trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence. Here's a scenario you might be familiar with... You nail a sequence of trades. Precision. Flow. Everything lines up. And then something flips. You start pushing harder, sizing up, breaking your own rules. A few minutes later, you’re staring at a screen wondering, “What the hell just happened?” It’s not lack of discipline nor is it a technical problem. You have an emotional pattern that hasn’t been mapped out yet. This pattern has roots into your subconscious and it’s sabotaging your efforts. WHATS REALLY HAPPENING AND WHERE DOES THE DRIVER REALLY COME FROM When you start winning, your brain gets flooded with dopamine , the chemical of reward and anticipation. If your nervous system has ever learned that success leads to loss, losing control, losing safety, losing connection it quietly associates “winning” with risk . The mind says, “Let’s keep this going.” Deeper down though is the silent warning … “This isn’t safe.” Doesn’t sound logical right? It’s not. It’s emotional. Deeply embedded in your psyche and activated whenever the mind feels that familiar feeling again. The mind wants to go forward - the body wants to intervene. And so you get an internal split. A moment of pressure that your mind just has to resolve. And the fastest way the subconscious knows to relieve that pressure… is to end the win. So you do something impulsive, not because you want to fail, but because deep down, you're trying to protect yourself or believe or not, you might be even trying to punish yourself. Weird stuff happens in the subconscious. That’s why the sabotage happens right after a run of success. It’s not logic breaking down. It’s the mind trying to restore an emotional equilibrium. HOW TO CATCH IT BEFORE IT HAPPENS Listen. The moment you size up impulsively is not random. It’s a repeatable signal that your emotional system has been triggered. You can’t fix what you can’t see - so start tracking it. 1. Notice your signature cue. For some, it’s tension in the chest or a fidgety feeling of restlessness. For others, it’s the need to “just check one more chart.” For you it might be something else. Pay attention and start to become aware of what comes up for you. 2. Map the pattern Keep a short log : what happens right before you go rogue? Notice the time of day, physical tension, thoughts. You are looking for a repeatable sequence. 3. Identify your threshold There’s always a tipping point where clarity narrows: your breath shortens, attention tunnels or you start fantasising about bigger gains. That’s your signal. 4. Interrupt the pattern and create a recovery plan (as you notice the cues) Physically step away from the desk. Exhale through the mouth long, slow, 6 seconds. Let your eyes rest on something still . This shifts the nervous system out of fight-or-flight and back into focus. This isn’t about controlling emotion. Its about expanding your capacity so emotion doesn't control you. Next time you’re on a hot streak, notice where focus ends and thrill begins. That’s the edge that makes or breaks the run.
COINBASE:BTCUSDEducation
by soda8888
11
When Winning Feels UnsafeNOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It is not a trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence. You’re in profit. The trade’s working. Your system’s doing exactly what it should. But instead of ease, something tightens. A flicker of doubt. You can hear that inner voice: “Don’t mess this up. You wouldn’t want to give this back now would you? How much is enough anyway?” You scan the chart again. Check your unrealized PnL. Move the stop closer. Start managing… what doesn’t need managing. Here’s what’s really happening: Your subconscious is remembering what happened the last time you saw success… The time you relaxed and it reversed. The time you felt proud and someone cut you down. The time you won and it didn’t last. So even when the market moves in your favour, part of you braces. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. So that voice saying, don’t mess this up - is actually a memory trying to protect you. And in so doing, never really lets you feel safe The point here is that your work as a trader is to be in the here and now. Not in the past. Be cognisant to the cues of your memory and body that don’t work in your favour. So when you notice tension rising, Take one slow breath. Feel your feet on the floor. And repeat. ‘Right here, right now’. And then … Follow your trade plan. Stay true to your trading plan. Manage your risk And let the market do what it does.
Education
by soda8888
16
The Phantom TradeThe Phantom Trade .... In the spirit of Halloween ... NOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It is not a trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure — so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence. You missed it. The setup you’d been watching for days, maybe weeks finally played out. Clean. Precise. Exactly as planned. But you weren’t in it. Maybe you hesitated. Maybe the trigger didn’t line up perfectly. Or maybe you just weren’t at your desk. Either way, it’s done. But your mind doesn’t let it go. You replay it. Frame by frame. You check where you would have entered, where you would have exited. You tell yourself it’s “reviewing.” But it’s not. It’s rumination. A mental loop that feels productive but keeps you stuck in what can’t be changed. You’re not trading the market anymore… you’re trading your memory of it. And every replay reinforces the belief that you should’ve done better. The body joins in too. Tight chest. Restless legs. An urge to make it back . That’s the real danger. Because the next trade isn’t about opportunity, it’s about redemption. And redemption trades rarely end well. The skill isn’t in ignoring the regret. It’s in recognising it for what it is: the echo of unmet expectation. Ask yourself: what am I actually trying to fix here? The missed trade… or the feeling of not being enough? The point here is: Reflection helps you grow. Rumination keeps you stuck. Learn to tell the difference. That’s where real mastery begins.
NASDAQ:AAPLEducation
by soda8888
7
Why Most Traders Exit Too Early — Psychology of Taking Profits1. Introduction Most traders obsess over finding the perfect entry. But what really separates professionals from everyone else is how they exit. Closing trades too early kills more profits than bad setups ever will. The problem might be one's psychology. 2. The Two Fears That Control Exits When managing profits, every trader battles two emotions: Fear of Loss – “ What if the PRICE reverses?” Fear of Regret – “What if it keeps running after I close?” Both pull you in opposite directions. One makes you take profit too soon; the other makes you hold too long. The balance between them defines your discipline. 3. Why Most Traders Close Too Early After entering a good trade, emotions rise. As profit builds, so does anxiety. Instead of trusting their plan, traders imagine losing what they’ve just gained, so they close the trade prematurely. In doing so, they trade emotion, not logic. It feels safe in the moment, but long term it destroys reward-to-risk consistency. 4. The Solution: Predefine the Exit The only way to remove hesitation is to plan exits before entering. Decide in advance: – Target levels based on structure or risk-reward. – Conditions that justify partial profits. – Situations that allow for trailing stops. When these decisions are made beforehand, emotions can’t interfere mid-trade. You act according to a plan, not a feeling. Visual idea: Screenshot-style mockup of trade plan with marked “Entry,” “Partial,” “Final Target.” 5. The Real Lesson Profit-taking should be systematic, not emotional. Your job isn’t to catch every little move, it’s to execute your plan without hesitation.
BITSTAMP:BTCUSDEducation
by HyroTrader
17
Patience - When Calm Feels WrongNOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It is not a trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure — so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence. Markets quiet down. Price moves slow. Everything looks still, maybe too still. Part of you relaxes. Another part tenses. It’s that sense that something’s coming. And sometimes, it is. But here’s the hard part Your body doesn’t always know the difference between anticipating danger and feeling unsafe. For traders, the nervous system reads uncertainty like threat. Even a normal pause in volatility can trigger the same internal siren: Something’s wrong. Do something. You start scanning: news, charts, signals anything to justify the unease. But often, the danger isn’t out there. It’s inside you... a learned association between stillness and not knowing what's going to happen next Which causes restlessness, uncertainty and a need to fidget and meddle. The skill isn’t in shutting that instinctive unease down. It’s in listening without reacting impulsively. Ask yourself - what is really going on right here, right now? The point here is: Patience isn’t passive. It’s regulated awareness. It’s being alert, not alarmed. Ready, but not restless. Sometimes there is indeed a risk out there. We are trading the financial markets after all. However. You have a trading plan. You know to be risk measured. All that is needed now is the ability to regulate yourself Stay calm and patient so you can execute your plan as intended.
Education
by soda8888
18
The Illusion of Readiness - Creeping DoubtNOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It is not a trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, energy, and focus - so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence. You know that feeling before you click buy or sell . You pause… You check your levels again. Re-measure your stop. Recalculate your size. Zoom in, zoom out. Add one more confirmation just to be sure. You tell yourself it’s discipline. That you’re waiting for the “perfect” setup. But there's no denying it… You can feel it Creeping doubt entering your trading room Listen. The truth is you already know your plan. You’ve tested it. You’ve seen it work. You are ready. But your mind doesn’t trust that yet. So it creates the illusion of readiness a loop of micro-adjustments and checks that feel productive… when really, they keep you safely on the sidelines. It’s control in its most subtle form. A way of saying, “I’ll act when I feel completely certain.” Except in trading that feeling never comes. Every tweak strengthens the belief that you’re not ready. Every delay tells your system, “Not yet… not safe.” The work isn’t in waiting for confidence. It’s in acting through the uncertainty and building trust in motion. Next time you find yourself double-checking for the fifth time, pause and ask: “Who is in the driving seat here?” Take a deep steadying breath and then follow your plan.
AMEX:GLDEducation
by soda8888
The Tension Between Trust and ControlNOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion . It is not a trade idea or system designed to make you money. My aim is to help you protect your capital, energy, and composure, so you can trade your own system with clarity and confidence. This is a shorter post than normal with a challenge embedded. If you choose to follow, let me know how you get on. Imagine the scenario BTCUSD - you’re in. The trade has moved your way and you KNOW you ought to trail Afterall... You’ve built the system and you have rules to follow You’ve tested them. They have an edge. You know you ought to trust the edge And yet… in the middle of a live trade, your hand drifts toward the mouse. You want to tweak the stop. Take profit early. Do something . You tell yourself it’s prudence. But what’s really happening is a tug-of-war between trust and control . Your system says: Stay put. Let it play out. Your instinct says: Take it and run. The more you interfere, the more you teach your brain one thing: “I can’t trust myself.” That interference doesn’t protect you. It keeps you trapped in a loop of doubt and micromanagement In reality, it erodes self-trust, trade by trade. So here’s your challenge: Sit through 30 trades, a statistically significant data set. Follow your rules with a position size that is big enough so you pay attention but not so big to cause you to interfere. Once you’ve entered - follow your rules to a T. No adjusting. No tinkering. By all means, makes notes in a journal. When the urge to step in comes up for you, pause and ask: 💭 What emotion is this? Notice it. Name it. Then let the system do its job, while you practice doing yours: staying disciplined.
COINBASE:BTCUSDEducation
by soda8888
The Control TrapNOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It is not a trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure so you can trade your own system with clarity and confidence. You’ve spent months - maybe years designing your system. You know its logic. You’ve backtested the data. You trust the probabilities. And yet… mid-trade, something shifts. The candles stall. The pullback looks deeper than usual. You feel the muscles in your stomach tighten. Your hand hovers over the mouse. Maybe I’ll just move the stop a bit tighter. Maybe I’ll exit early, just this once. Maybe I’ll skip this signal - it doesn’t look right today. It feels like precision. Like prudence. Like control. But look closer. Every time you interfere, you reinforce the belief that you can’t trust yourself. And that belief quietly eats away at your confidence - trade by trade, decision by decision. What’s really happening: When you second-guess your own rules, it’s rarely about the system. It’s about safety. Your mind is trying to avoid the discomfort of uncertainty - that raw, restless sensation that comes with surrendering control to probabilities. Your body feels it first. The quickened pulse. The micro-tension in your shoulders. The eyes darting to every tick, searching for reassurance. You’re not refining your edge - you’re soothing anxiety. The irony is that this constant adjustment creates the very instability you’re trying to avoid. The more you step in, the more you teach your brain that it can’t be trusted to hold steady. And so the cycle repeats - tighter control, lower trust, higher stress. How to shift it: Next time you feel the urge to tweak or touch the trade - pause. Notice the emotion under the surface. Is it fear? Doubt? A need to be right? Let yourself feel that pull without acting on it. Remind yourself: “I built this system for a reason. My job now is to execute, not interfere.” Try sitting through one trade, fully hands-off. Let the outcome be what it is. And observe what happens inside you, not just on the chart. That awareness is where emotional control begins. Trading well isn’t just about the quality of your system It’s about the quality of your state while running it. If this article resonated, check out the post I’d written on System Hopping. Link below:
COINBASE:BTCUSDEducation
by soda8888
2
The Comeback Urge - When a Loss Feels PersonalNOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It is not a trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure so you can trade your own system with clarity and confidence. We saw some very deep sell offs towards the end of last week. Imagine this if you will. You’ve just taken a loss. This one is not catastrophic, but it stings. You replay it in your head. What you could’ve done differently. Where you should’ve cut. What you should’ve seen. And before the dust even settles, there’s an urge . To get back in. To “come back strong.” To show the market and yourself that you’ve still got it. At first, it feels like determination. But look closer. That energy coursing through your body isn’t calm focus. It’s agitation. Your jaw tightens. Your breath shortens. Your shoulders inch forward toward the screen. Your system has just taken a hit not just financially, but emotionally. Your identity as a capable, disciplined trader feels threatened. And the impulse to trade again isn’t about opportunity. It’s about redemption. You’re not trying to win the market back. You’re trying to win yourself back. What’s really happening: After a loss, your mind scrambles to restore equilibrium. It wants to prove you’re still competent, still in control. But trading from that place rarely ends well Because the next trade becomes about repairing ego, not executing process. It’s subtle, but powerful: You’re no longer trading the chart. You’re trading your self-image . How to shift it: Pause. Acknowledge the emotional hit - not with judgment, but awareness. Let the nervous energy move through your system without acting on it. Remind yourself: “This is biology, not skill decay.” You haven’t lost your edge, you’ve just been knocked off-center. When you can sit in that discomfort without needing to erase it That’s when emotional maturity starts replacing emotional reactivity. And that’s not just psychology - it’s edge . Because trading well doesn’t just depend on your system. It depends on your state . Ask yourself: When I rush to make it back, What part of me am I really trying to fix? The moment you can see that the need to prove, to redeem, to make it right is coming from ‘make back’ You stop trading from the wound and start trading from awareness. And that’s where consistent performance begins If this resonated, please check out my post on FOMO. H'ere's the link:
Education
by soda8888
8
Catching a Falling Knife - The Illusion of OpportunityNOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It is NOT a trade idea or system designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve capital, energy, and focus — so you can execute your own trading system with calm and confidence. A sharp selloff. Price is plunging. The chart looks like it’s gone too far . Your eye zooms in on that last swing low - “It has to bounce here.” You tell yourself you’re being brave… opportunistic… disciplined even. Beneath the surface, something else is driving the impulse. A need to get involved and capitalize on opportunity A need to relieve tension and fomo A belief that there’s value here. A sense of excitement. Things are moving. A chance to make back all that I’ve lost before - plus more. When markets fall fast, the nervous system reacts. Adrenaline spikes. The body wants to do something - to turn impulse into action. To buy the bottom feels like you’ve beaten the market. That you’ve proven that you can do this and that you’re really really clever. But every time you step in too soon, the same pattern repeats: You’re not trading your process You’re trading your emotions, your sense of self worth and lets be honest Face it. You’ve been hijacked. Body cues: Eyes darting across screens, scanning for reversal signals. Shoulders tense, leaning closer to the monitor. A restless tapping of fingers or bouncing knee as you wait for confirmation. Breath shortening, shallow and quick. Underlying belief: “If I can catch this, I’ll prove that I’m right” How to shift it: When you feel that urge to step in early, force a pause. Name what’s really happening: “My mind wants action, and it wants to be right ”. Ask the question “Do I want to be right or do I want to make money?” Then redirect that energy toward process - not action. Waiting doesn’t make you passive. It’s an act of discipline and power. Remember Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd in Trading Places. The art of waiting for the moment, and then engaging is the mark of a disciplined professional trader. Stay safe out there and live to trade another day For another related post, check out this one on buying the dip
CME:MET1!Education
by soda8888
2
Why Most Prop Traders Fail (Even the Skilled Ones)When speaking with Prop Traders, we have found the issue was not about bad setups; it’s emotions under pressure that is the problem Fear after a loss. Greed after a win. That’s when discipline slips and accounts die. Here’s what helps: Before each session, ask ? “Would I take this trade if I weren’t trying to prove something?” This one question has saved more accounts than any indicator I’ve been helping traders stay calm when it matters most. If you’ve ever blown up knowing exactly what you should’ve done, DM me and I’ll show you what’s been working.
BMV:TSLAEducation
by Mindbloome-Trading
2
Giving Back Profits - The Trap of 'Just One More'NOTE : This is a post on Mindset and emotion. It is NOT a Trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. If anything, I’m posting this to help you preserve your capital, energy and will so you can execute your own trading system with calm, patience and confidence. The trouble doesn’t start with the win. It’s what happens after the win that sets the course for the unwind. Take this scenario as an example. You finish the morning well in the green. You are focused, composed in flow And then the thought creeps in: “Just one more” “I’m on fire.” “Let's make it count”. That’s when strong sessions turn into regret. What’s really happening inside you: Thoughts: “If I’d sized bigger earlier, I’d have more.” “Stopping now is leaving money on the table.” Feelings: Euphoria, Invincibility. Subtle disbelief that this winning streak could end. Behaviours: Taking marginal setups, holding too long, over-sizing. Body cues: Elevated energy, buzzing restlessness, almost addictive “high.” Trigger: A profitable trade or session - the buzz of winning. This isn’t opportunity. It’s the discomfort of stopping. Your brain has just been flooded with dopamine - the chemical of reward and anticipation. When you stop, that rush fades fast. The body doesn’t like the drop, so it urges you to keep going. It’s not greed - it’s biology. Your system is craving the stimulation that came with the win. The mind interprets that craving as “one more setup.” But what it’s really chasing… is the feeling of being alive in the action. Learning to sit with that energy, without acting on it is emotional mastery. Mastery isn’t about cutting winners it’s about knowing the difference between pressing your edge and chasing the feeling. One comes from clarity and alignment with your plan. The other comes from chemistry and compulsion. Both feel powerful in the moment but only one keeps you in the game. Once you can see that impulse for what it is a chemical pull, not true opportunity the next step is learning how to regain control before it takes you off plan. How to shift it: Define the finish line: set a daily stop time or target and honour it. End when you said you would. Winning traders know when to walk away. Reframe the win: Booked profits aren’t ‘missed opportunity’. They’re proof that you’ve followed your process and protected your edge. Closure ritual: write: “Today I protected my edge.” Train your body and mind to link stopping with success, balance and composure. 👉 The market always offers “just one more.” The pros know: the real edge is keeping what you’ve earned. Highlighting once again the post on Non Farm for anyone that missed it. The announcement is currently rescheduled for Friday 10th (due to the US Government Shut Down). Link below:
CME_MINI:NQ1!Education
by soda8888
15
FOMO - The Urge That Costs You TwiceNOTE: This is a post on Mindset and emotion. It is NOT a Trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. I’m posting this to help you preserve your capital, energy and will so you can execute your own trading system with calm, patience and confidence. So here we are, Gold kissing 4000. It’s been on a tear and hasn’t looked back. Relentless. Higher, higher, higher. Now imagine being the trader who stalked this setup… but missed the entry. The setup was clean. The context made sense. But you hesitated. You wanted confirmation. And now it’s gone. At first, you tell yourself you’re fine. You’ll wait for the pullback. But the longer you watch, the more unsettled you become. Your legs bounce. Your breath shortens. Price rips higher without you. And the thought slips in… “I can’t miss this.” Before you know it, your hand hovers over the button ready to break your own rules just to feel part of the move. What’s really happening inside you: Thoughts: “Argghh… I knew it. Ok, it’s moving. Wait for the pullback.” “Urgh… another headline, it keeps moving up… everyone else is in.” “It’s not pulling back. This is the move I’ve been waiting for. Missing out is worse than losing.” “I’ll never forgive myself if I just watch this go without me.” Feelings: Restlessness. Envy. Urgency. Behaviours: Dropping timeframes, chasing moves, flipping charts, forcing setups. Body cues: Buzzing energy in chest or stomach, jittery hands, shallow breath, can’t sit still. The Trigger: Watching a move take off without you, especially after hesitation stopped you last time. Watching price rise without a look back. Everyone's talking about it. It’s on the newsfeed. ‘Record highs’. ‘Biggest day ever’. Why it feels so powerful: FOMO isn’t about the market. it’s about survival wiring. Your brain equates “missing out” with exclusion, being left out. So urgency feels safer than patience. Acting now, even without an edge, feels like relief, because at least you’re doing something. The real cost: FOMO makes you chase highs and sell lows. It costs you twice. Once when you chase the move and lose. And again when you lose faith in your own process. Each time you act on urgency, you train your nervous system to link tension with execution. That’s how confidence quietly drains away. How to shift it: Pause & name it: say out loud, “This is FOMO.” Awareness loosens its grip. Breathe into it: slow your breath until your body settles. Teach your system that calm not chaos precedes execution. Anchor: remind yourself the market is infinite. “It takes a second to wreck it… it takes time to build.” Beastie Boys Reset: ask, “If I hadn’t seen that move, would I still take this setup?” If not, stand down. Missing a move hurts but chasing it turns one mistake into two. Discipline pays you back; impulse never does. The market will always offer another opportunity. Your edge is keeping your nerve, calm and self-control until it does. By the way, for those that missed the Non Farm post last week. Turns out that Non Farm has been re-scheduled for this Friday... (but they can always reschedule again). Check this link out for anyone lining up for Non Farm this week.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by soda8888
6
Non-Farm Payrolls: Do You Trade the Print or Let It Pass?NOTE – This is a post on Mindset and emotion. It is NOT a Trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. If anything, I’m posting this to help you preserve your capital, energy and will so you can execute your own trading system with calm, patience and confidence. Every first Friday, the market braces for NFP. For some, it’s a chance to catch a big move. For others, it’s a day to protect capital and energy. The real question isn’t just what’s the number? It’s: What’s your process around events like this? Here’s the work to do before Friday: 1. Define your approach Are you trading the release, fading the first spike, or waiting until the dust settles? Write it down before the event - don’t decide in the heat of the moment. 2. Check what’s pulling you in Is it part of your tested edge, or are you driven by FOMO, the rush of adrenaline, or the feeling that you “should” trade it? 3. Notice your body’s signals Faster breathing or shallow breaths Shoulders tightening Heart rate climbing Narrowed focus on the screen Fingers itching to click These are not just “nerves” they are signals. Use them as feedback, not fuel. 4. Review the impact afterwards Did trading the news leave you calm, in control and aligned with your plan? Or did it drain your energy, push you into overtrading, or spark regret? The point isn’t whether NFP is an opportunity or a trap . It can be either. The edge comes from knowing yourself, deciding ahead of time and sticking to a process that matches both your system and your psychology. So before the number drops, get clear: - Do you have a defined playbook? - Or are you letting the market and your body pull you into one? If you’re contemplating trading at any point around the NFP number you might want to check out @JeffBoccaccio’s posts on ES range expectations around the release for some idea on how he frames the news event. Start here but check out the linked video post for a walk-through explanation:
CME_MINI:ES1!Education
by soda8888
12
October 1st. Best Trading Day of the Year?NOTE: This is a post on Mindset and emotion. It is NOT a Trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. If anything, I’m posting this to help you preserve your capital, energy and will so you can execute your own trading system with calm, patience and confidence. I was told yesterday that October 1 is historically a great trading day. What does that mean? That we buy? That we sell? Or as traders, do we simply lean into the expected volatility in both directions, regardless of how it ends? Is it really about direction or is it more about volatility itself? And then I wondered, what about October as a whole? We’ve just come through a really strong September. That alone puts expectations on edge. Do we continue higher? Or do we fall off in line with October’s reputation? Because if you ask most people, October is “that scary crash month.” 1929. 1987. 2008. Big events that seared into collective memory. But the data tells a different story. Seasonality studies show October has often been one of the stronger months for the S&P 500. Yes, it tends to be more volatile with more big moves up and down. But zoom out and October often finishes in positive territory. Many times it has even marked the end of declines and the start of new rallies. So why does the “October crash” narrative persist? Because our brains are wired to latch onto the dramatic, painful events more than steady gains. We remember the sting of a crash, not the quiet consistency of recovery. That’s the mindset piece here. Markets are not just numbers, they’re stories. The ones we tell ourselves, and the ones that echo across generations of traders. If you believe October is dangerous, you’ll find evidence everywhere to confirm it. If you believe October is an opportunity, you’ll see that too. What matters is not October itself. It’s your relationship with volatility and how you meet uncertainty. Both in the markets and in your own mental state. Your ability to hold perspective in a month where the swings may be larger, the headlines louder and the ghosts of market history come knocking.
AMEX:SPYEducation
by soda8888
22
Revenge Trading – The Loop That Drains YouNOTE: This is a post on Mindset and emotion. It is NOT a Trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. If anything, I’m posting this to help you preserve your capital, energy and will so you can execute your own trading system with calm, patience and confidence. Momentum and trend are in play and you’re lining up for the next opportunity to join the trend up. Diligently - you follow your rules and get in when the ‘stars align’ and when the indicators you’ve chosen give you the confirmation you’re looking for to get in. And then you’re stopped out. “I’ll get it back on the next one.” It starts as a whisper in your head right after a loss. "Is it a false breakout? Is it noise? " You don’t even consider ‘chop’ right now. You re-enter Stopped again and again. This is starting to feel personal. What’s really happening inside you: Thoughts: “The market took from me.” “I’ll show it.” Feelings: Anger, injustice, shame. Behaviours: Increasing size, doubling down, moving stops. Body cues: Racing heart, clenched jaw, tunnel vision. Trigger: A loss that feels unfair or personal. This is anger disguised as trading. You have been triggered. How to take control of this: Name it: Say out loud “I’m acting out here.” Ask yourself - ‘Do I really want to do this, is this part of the plan or am I honestly revenge trading?’. Asking these questions at least stops the automatic reaction of just jumping in and brings awareness to the situation. It’s a breaker switch that interrupts the loop. Ground yourself: notice your breath, your heart, your body. It’s likely that your biology is reacting to the loss which means hormones such as [adrenaline and cortisol are racing through you. Step away until the adrenaline settles. Reframe the loss: remind yourself: The win I’m chasing won’t undo the loss. Only discipline will. Losses in this game are a cost of doing business. I accept that there are costs and I am in control of my spend as any successful business owner does. Losing isn’t the problem. How you react to the loss defines your career. If you found this useful, also have a look at a previous post I’ve put up on revenge trading. Here’s the link. I also offered some reflections on a trade post sent to me by another TradingView user. The topic wasn’t revenge, but the challenge presented by the market wasn't too dissimilar. p.s. Apols if anything is odd in this post, I have had to repost it.
Education
by soda8888
4
Exit Psychology – Reflections On The SeriesNOTE – This is a post on Mindset and emotion. It is NOT a Trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. If anything, I’m taking the time here to post as an effort to help you preserve your capital, energy and will so that you are able to execute your own trading system as best you can from a place of calm, patience and confidence. Over the last few posts we’ve walked through the psychology behind many exits. Here on this chart, you can see how they all might have played out on a single trade. One trade, four different exits. Whichever you choose to implement isn’t just a technical decision - it’s a psychological mirror. Taking each in turn: The initial stop: the line where you admit, “The trade idea didn’t work” The break-even stop: the comfort of “I can’t lose now.” The trailing stop: the wrestle between protecting gains and letting them run. The profit target: the choice between certainty and potential. Put them all on the same chart and you’ll notice something: none of them are just about price. Each is a reflection of the trader making the call. What we’ve uncovered in this series: The initial stop tests whether you can accept being wrong on a trade idea without making it personal. The break-even stop shows how much discomfort you’re willing to tolerate before reaching for relief. The trailing stop mirrors your balance between fear of giving back and trust in your process. The profit target surfaces your relationship with certainty versus possibility. And tight vs. loose? That isn’t just a preference. It begins with trader type: your personality, values and beliefs set a natural baseline. It’s shaped further by how well your strategy fits that style. And in the moment, emotion (fear or hope) nudges you tighter or looser than planned. The bigger reflection: Exits reveal more than entries. They show how you handle: Loss and regret. Control and uncertainty. Trust and identity. Comfort and growth. But reflection alone isn’t enough. To turn insight into progress, you need practical ways to anchor behaviour: Pre-commit in writing: Note where you’ll exit before you enter, it closes the door to mid-trade negotiation. Separate outcomes from emotions: Journal not just where you exited, but how you felt in the moment. Patterns emerge quickly. Differentiate protecting vs. controlling: Ask yourself, “Am I moving this stop to protect the plan, or because I’m uncomfortable right now?” Train the nervous system: Notice the physical urge to act and how it shows up in the body (ex: shallow breath, tense shoulders). Pause before execution and breathe. Slow down the ‘urge’ and re-train self trust. These small practices are how you build the consistency to stay aligned with both your system and your psychology. Closing thought: The market doesn’t care where you exit. But your mindset does - and so does your account. Clarity in those decisions is where growth begins and where your odds of staying in the game increase. In the end, your edge isn’t only your system. It’s your state of mind - before, during and after engaging with the market. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. If so would love to hear in the comments. Here’s a recap of the entire Psychology of Exits series in case you’d like to check out the details of each: Exit Psychology 1/5 : The Initial Stop Exit Psychology 2/5 : The Break-Even Stop - Comfort or Illusion? Exit Psychology 3/5: The Trailing Stop – Patience vs Protection Exit Psychology 4/5 : The Profit Target – Certainty vs. Potential Exit Psychology 5/5: Tight vs. Loose And finally here is the link to the original article by TradingView that inspired this series as promised: p.s. Apols if anything is odd in this post, I have had to repost it.
Education
by soda8888
5
Exit Psychology 5/5: Tight vs. LooseNOTE – This is a post on Mindset and emotion. It is NOT a Trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. If anything, I’m taking the time here to post as an effort to help you preserve your capital, energy and will so that you are able to execute your own trading system as best you can from a place of calm, patience and confidence. This 5-part series on the Psychology of Exits is inspired by TradingView’s recent post “The Stop-Loss Dilemma.” Link to the original post at the end of this article. Here’s a scenario: Two traders, same setup. One uses a tight stop. One sets it loose. The first gets stopped out quickly - several scratches in a row. Frustration builds: “The market keeps hunting me.” The second holds through the noise, but watches a small loss balloon. Self-talk creeps in: “If I’d cut it sooner, I’d be fine.” Same market. Different styles. Each trader convinced the other way might be better. How behaviour shows up with tight vs. loose stops: Tight stops: Often chosen by traders who value precision and control. The mindset is “I’d rather be wrong small and often than wrong big.” The cost? A series of small cuts that can erode confidence. Loose stops: Favoured by traders who value patience and the bigger picture. The mindset is “give the trade room to breathe.” The cost? Larger drawdowns and the risk of turning manageable losses into emotional ones. Neither is inherently better. The choice often begins with trader type - your personality, values and beliefs shape a natural preference for precision (tight) or patience (loose). The trap isn’t in the preference itself it’s when short-term emotions hijack that baseline. The psychology underneath: Your baseline style comes from deeper beliefs and tendencies: Tight stop traders often believe: “If I’m precise, I can avoid being wrong.” “Smaller losses hurt less.” “Control comes from minimising risk quickly.” Loose stop traders often believe: “The market needs space to prove me right.” “One big win will pay for the rest.” “Patience will protect me from being shaken out.” But when stress or excitement kicks in, those baseline tendencies can distort: Tight traders over-tighten - cutting winners short out of fear. Loose traders loosen further - holding too long out of hope. The key is to know the difference between what reflects your style and what reflects an emotional trigger. Why context matters: Timeframe: Scalpers naturally need tighter stops; swing traders can afford looser ones. Volatility: Calm markets tolerate precision; wild ones punish it. Strategy: Breakout systems often need wider buffers; mean reversion thrives on tight control. Your stop isn’t just about the chart. It’s about who you are, the system you run and the market you’re in. Practical tips … the How: Notice your natural bias: Do you lean toward safety through control (tight) or safety through space (loose)? Awareness matters more than labels. Align your stop style with both your timeframe and your temperament. A system that grinds against your personality will drain your energy. Review your data: Do tight stops cut you out too soon? Do loose stops bleed too much? Your history holds the clues. Separate outcome from process: A stop-out isn’t failure - it’s feedback. Tight or loose, consistency beats reaction. Reframe: It’s not about tight versus loose. It’s about congruence, between your strategy, the market context and your personality. When those three line up, stops become less about fear and more about discipline. Closing thought: Every stop: initial, break-even, trailing, or profit target is really a mirror. It reflects not only your strategy, but also your relationship with uncertainty, control and trust in yourself. The market doesn’t care how you exit. But your mindset does… as does your account. Every adjustment, every shift of a stop, every decision to hold or cut, carries both a financial cost and an emotional cost. Learning to see those decisions clearly, is where growth begins and where your odds of staying in the game increase. A link to Exit Psychology 4/5 : The Profit Target – Certainty vs. Potential A link to the original article as promised: This is Part 5 of the Psychology of Exits series. 👉 Thanks for following along ... and for those who have stayed the course with me, there's a bonus wrap up that I'll be writing up today and releasing tomorrow. Stay tuned. p.s. Apologies if the chart on this post is a little odd. I had to repost this.
COINBASE:ETHUSDEducation
by soda8888
3
Exit Psychology 4/5: The Profit Target - Certainty vs. PotentialNOTE – This is a post on Mindset and emotion. It is NOT a Trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. If anything, I’m taking the time here to post as an effort to help you preserve your capital, energy and will so that you are able to execute your own trading system as best you can from a place of calm, patience and confidence. This 5-part series on the Psychology of Exits is inspired by TradingView’s recent post “The Stop-Loss Dilemma.” Link to the original post at the end of this article. A familiar scenario: Price is moving your way. You’re edging closer to your profit target. An internal debate begins: “Should I book it now? What if it turns?” . Your pulse quickens. Thoughts circle: “What if it turns now?” “Should I take it here? It’s good enough…” “But what if I exit and it keeps running?” One voice says “bank it before it disappears.” Another whispers “hold, the real move is still ahead.” You exit early, relief for a moment - until you watch the chart run far beyond where you got out. Next time, you hold on longer… only to see your winner evaporate. Most traders know this dance. It’s not about charts. It’s about the pull between certainty and potential. How behaviour shows up with profit targets: The way we take profits tells us more about our beliefs than about the market itself. : Cutting trades too early: The belief that profit can vanish at any moment, so you must grab it while it’s there. Holding too long: Rooted in the hope that “one big trade will make the month.” or erase prior losses. Moving targets mid-trade: Reflects the belief that adjusting = control, even if it means inconsistency. Ignoring targets entirely: Suggests discomfort with closure - “If I don’t exit, I haven’t missed out yet.” The psychology underneath: What looks like “profit management” is often emotional management in disguise: Loss aversion in reverse: Protecting unrealised gains feels safer than risking them for more. Regret aversion: The fear of “what if”- too soon or too late - shapes every decision. Scarcity belief: “Opportunities are rare - I must squeeze every drop.” Over-attachment: Treating one trade as if it carries all the weight, rather than one of many in a series. Identity layer: For some, banking profit = validation; missing the bigger move = failure. At the heart of it is this tension: Do you seek the certainty of closing now, or the potential of holding on? And which one do you believe defines your worth as a trader? Why traders use profit targets: Pre-defined targets do have value. They provides clarity, structure and reduce decision fatigue. Locks in gains and avoids paralysis at turning points. They allow for consistent risk-reward planning. But the challenge is sticking to those targets without rewriting them mid-trade based on emotion. That’s where the psychology is tested. Practical tips … the How: The aim is to separate strategy-based exits from emotion-based exits, namely to exit in line with your plan, while conserving psychological capital for the next trade: A few ways traders manage this: Define profit targets in advance - structure, measured move, or R-multiple and write them down before entry so you are not improvising mid-trade. Consider scaling out: partial profits banked, partial profits to satisfy the need for certainty, while leaving a portion to capture potential. Journal post-trade: Did you exit where planned, or did emotion intervene? Track the pattern across multiple trades. Build awareness: notice the urge to “grab it” or “stretch it.” Pause and label the feeling (fear/greed/doubt) before acting on it. Naming the emotion can reduce its grip on you. Reframe: A profit target isn’t a ceiling. It’s a decision point. The skill isn’t in guessing the high it’s in exiting consistently in line with your plan, while protecting your psychological capital for the next trade. Closing thought: Every profit exit is a mirror. It reflects not only what the market offered, but also how you relate to certainty, potential, and trust in your own process. A link to Exit Psychology 3/5 : The Trailing Stop – Patience vs. Protection A link to the original article as promised: This is Part 4 of the Psychology of Exits series . 👉 Follow and stay tuned for Part 5: Tight vs. Loose - Personality, Context, and the Real Trap.
BITSTAMP:BTCUSDEducation
by soda8888
5