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Breaking Bad Trading Habits

Are You Making any of These 3 Trading Psychology Mistakes?

Many traders with aspirations of becoming a great trader fail because they blow their trading psychology. Let’s take a look at 3 of the worst mistakes traders make with respect to trading psychology, and what to do instead.

Mistake #1 – Ignoring Trading Psychology Until it is too Late

This one is really easy to do, especially since most people think trading is all about the trade setup and technical indicators. Certainly, possessing very strong technical skills is a key component of trading success. But so, too are understanding sound money management and developing solid mental skills for trading. Many traders don’t begin to learn about trading psychology until their account is nearly wiped out or they have become so fearful of taking another loss that they just can’t pull the trigger!

Ignoring trading psychology is not a professional approach to trading. Trading unaware of the mental side of the game prolongs the learning process and can negatively affect the bottom line.

What to do instead

Focus on your own trading psychology. Start to learn the mental skills needed to trade well right away. Keep a journal that includes your thoughts and emotions concerning your trading and see what patterns emerge.  Make time available each week to work on your personal psychology. There are many helpful trading psychology resources available to a trader, including links to my website and blog, which you will find below.

Mistake #2 – Believing you have to Control Emotions to Trade Well

This just isn’t true. It’s also not possible. Yes, you can influence your emotional state and sometimes override your emotions, but to consistently control fear, for example, just isn’t possible. Even traders with 20 years of experience can still feel uncomfortable when in a trade. Why? Because trading is an environment of uncertainty. We never have complete information. Every trade is about taking a risk.

Also, we are human. We have innate emotional mechanisms that will absolutely trigger when we take on risk. We don’t have much control over them.

What to do instead

Be open to and accept the fact that, yes, you will feel anxiety, fear and other strong emotions at times. Note that these emotions never last. They feel bad and definitely are uncomfortable, but the fear you felt this morning has left you by the afternoon, if not sooner. Emotions come and go. They are not permanent. The real secret to trading psychology is to be open to them and do what matters for the trade. This is not always easy, but there are skills and techniques that you can learn that will, indeed, make it easier.

Mistake #3 – Struggling with Your Emotions

This is the worst thing to do. When you struggle with your emotions, you take your focus off the market and bring it into your internal state. Attention goes to the scary feelings, muscle tension, pounding heart, and a mind that is telling you to get out of the trade or do some other action to reduce the discomfort. Attention is not where it should be. No one can manage a trade when they are not focusing on it!

What to do instead

This builds on being more open to uncomfortable feelings and thoughts. Know exactly what is needed to manage the trade. Know where the profit target is, and what the trade will look like if it is working. It is helpful to imagine this in your mind’s eye ahead of time. Also know what it will look like if it is not working or something arises that would trigger an early exit. Then, keep your focus on these factors rather than your internal state. This is maintaining composure under pressure.

Keeping composure while trading is just one mental skill, there are other important trading psychology skills a trader needs to know. If your curiosity has been sparked by what you’ve read here, you can learn more at the author’s website.  A guide to mental trading skills that traders have reported is valuable is available free.  Just click here.