📌To all NEW traders as well as STRUGGLING traders!!!
Over the trading period between 18th and 22nd July, I executed trades across six different assets: $FET, $SEI, $DIA, $EPIC, $CFX, $UMA. My entry criteria were generally met for all trades, and I maintained a calm mental state prior to execution. However, reviewing my Thought Process During (TPD) trades revealed recurring psychological and behavioral challenges that must be addressed for long-term consistency.
Identified Trading Psychology Challenges
1. Stop-Loss Anxiety & Adjustment:
When price nears my stop-loss, I tend to get anxious and often re-adjust the SL to "give the trade more room," which almost always results in deeper losses.
2. Early Take-Profit Trigger:
Upon reaching 1:1 risk-to-reward, I frequently manually close positions out of fear the trade may reverse, instead of allowing it to naturally hit my take-profit target.
3. Multi-Trade Overload:
Managing multiple trades simultaneously leads to loss of focus, slower reaction time, and poor execution.
4. Emotional Revenge Trading:
After a stop-loss is hit, I tend to re-enter the market impulsively to recover losses, often compounding them instead.
Corrective Measures & Trading Guidelines
To combat these behavioral flaws, I’ve outlined the following rules and habits to guide my trading moving forward:
✅ Embrace Probabilities:
Accept that every trade is a probability event, and outcomes are not always in my control — only the execution is.
Define SL/TP Clearly:
Set realistic stop-loss and take-profit levels before entering the trade. These should align with both market structure and risk management principles.
One Trade at a Time:
Avoid opening multiple trades simultaneously. Focus on one high-quality setup to improve clarity, execution, and emotional control.
Detach from the Chart:
After setting SL and TP, walk away from the screen. Staring at every price tick only feeds anxiety. Let the trade play out.
🛑 Two SL Hits = Pause:
If I take two consecutive stop-losses, step away from the chart. This prevents emotionally driven decisions and overtrading.
To conclude,
A problem identified is truly a problem half-solved. This reflection has highlighted the emotional triggers and habits undermining my performance. By implementing the above adjustments, I aim to become a more disciplined and emotionally balanced trader.
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