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Vince50

How Do You Feel After the Trading Day is Over?

By Vince50, in Trading Psychology

What most describes you after your trading day is over?  

55 members have voted

  1. 1. What most describes you after your trading day is over?

    • I feel euphoric, like I could take on the world if I win that day.
      10
    • I feel like trading was the wrong career decision if I lose that day.
      5
    • I feel sad and lonely.
      1
    • My back and aches and I feel like I am aging.
      0
    • I want to exercise or do Martial Arts to get the blood flowing?
      5
    • I am so drained physically and/or mentally I want to collapse
      9
    • I feel suicidal or rage if I lose, and too wound up to sleep if I win.
      3
    • I feel like I'm spaced out and cannot focus after trading stops.
      3
    • I feel so lucky to be trading regardless if I win or lose.
      16
    • None of the above. I will write about it in the thread.
      3

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Vince50    10

Vince50
Posted

In one paragraph please describe how you feel physically, emotionally and mentally at the end of your trading day. Regardless if your day is an entire open-close session of Equities or Forex, a couple of hours a day or whatever period you trade. Are you energized and cant wait to go jogging. Are you cranky? Do you want to fall asleep. Do you regret getting into trading? Do you miss your loved one or friends? Are you happy for the peace and quiet? Please include how many hours per day you trade and what time frames and instruments you follow. Tell us if you are Sim or live trading too.

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Obsidian    10

Obsidian
Posted

If it is a profitable day, I do not think about it. I spend rest of my time with wife and son. After they sleep, I check-update-mark charts to find new setups

 

If it is not a profitable day, I do not think about it. I spend rest of my time with wife and son. After they sleep, I check-update-mark charts to find new setups

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MightyMouse    12

MightyMouse
Posted

Daytrading:

 

I love when I have winning days. The euphoric feeling of winning is what draws me to trading in the first place. I would never attempt to deny myself of such a reward. In the end, my gains won't be life changing, so I really do not give a shit if I win.

 

I hate trading when I lose. I get pissed off to the point of wanting to smash shit if it is an exceptionally bad day. My desire is to win. Anything less is an irritant. In the end, my losses will never amount to much, so I really don't give a shit if I lose.

 

I know I am ruled by my ego. It is foolish for me to pretend otherwise. I feel that it is a waste of time to fool myself into thinking anything other than the above. In my particular case it is best for me to feel it, express it, release it as best as I can, and move onto the next trade.

 

Pretending or bottling feelings or thoughts is just not my thing.

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jpennybags    11

jpennybags
Posted

I voted to answer in the thread. After a really good day... I smile and say it could've been different. After a really bad day... I smile and say it could've been different (although it takes longer to come to a smile... losing sucks). This is a good business if you can keep things in perspective... it comes and it goes... give and take... learning from the losers and recalling the winners (actually learning from the winners too, but you learn about sucess from the losers). I rarely have bad days, and it usually doesn't come from trading.

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jtraderco    10

jtraderco
Posted

here veteran trader. 13years almost. I can say i'm always exausted, being that i win or lose. bad days have really a bad influence on my humour. the worst is when u have people around and expect u have to be happy or smiling or go to some place.....

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1timer    10

1timer
Posted

Win or lose ... to me, it's just another day @ the 'decision' minefield & just another event to learn from.

I never 'sim' trade, because (to me) something has to be at stake or there is not enough 'real' emotional pressure (or pain) to perform correctly.

If I felt the major emotional swings as described in many of the listed selections, that would mean that too much was risked.

Something in the middle works best.

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Vince50    10

Vince50
Posted
I voted to answer in the thread. After a really good day... I smile and say it could've been different. After a really bad day... I smile and say it could've been different (although it takes longer to come to a smile... losing sucks). This is a good business if you can keep things in perspective... it comes and it goes... give and take... learning from the losers and recalling the winners (actually learning from the winners too, but you learn about sucess from the losers). I rarely have bad days, and it usually doesn't come from trading.

 

 

Penny bags, Im stunned. If trading is a big part of your life, how can your bad days not be from the thing that is so important to you....trading!!!!? Unless your choice of relationships are sooo bad you cant think of anything else, LOL I admit I never heard an answer like yours. Is that good or bad? Elaborate a bit if you dont mind....

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Vince50    10

Vince50
Posted
Daytrading:

 

I love when I have winning days. The euphoric feeling of winning is what draws me to trading in the first place. I would never attempt to deny myself of such a reward. In the end, my gains won't be life changing, so I really do not give a shit if I win.

 

I hate trading when I lose. I get pissed off to the point of wanting to smash shit if it is an exceptionally bad day. My desire is to win. Anything less is an irritant. In the end, my losses will never amount to much, so I really don't give a shit if I lose.

 

I know I am ruled by my ego. It is foolish for me to pretend otherwise. I feel that it is a waste of time to fool myself into thinking anything other than the above. In my particular case it is best for me to feel it, express it, release it as best as I can, and move onto the next trade.

 

Pretending or bottling feelings or thoughts is just not my thing.

 

I used to feel like smashing stuff when I would have the kind of losing day where everything I did was wrong, and...I had a bad day the day before too. As long as nothing happens to even dent my certainty I can make a living at this, Im ok. Now if I have 2 or 3 losing days in arow and I know I did everything right, I take a sleeping pill to get to the next day and get a fresh start. Day over!

 

So what do you do now to get out of that wanting to smash stuff mode when you feel it coming on? Is there like one activity you can always turn to? I think most successful pro's DO have that one escape and the money they make is secondary to how they know how to stay in "state". Like for example Linda Raschke rides horses in the morning before she even trades. Thats pretty sweet, hah?

 

My opinion after 15 years of trading and reading and observing other traders is that, if the trader has a good relationship and has several hobbies he can always pick one out of the bag to shut off his computer and go do. But if a trader is not in a good relationship or marriage, doesnt really like where he lives, then wow.....when you have a losing day, all 3 things come crashing down on your head! And you have no release valve. When I was in the Navy, yuh know what happened when we couldnt unclog the release valve in the boiler/engine room. Evacuate the ship! But how can you evacuate yourself? Its hard. I do it with a sleeping pill. But thats not a cure for a bad trading system..."if" thats why I am losing.

 

Its one of the reasons I have tried on other forums to get people interested in forming a "trading club"....but with the goal of having a big beach house or condo overlooking something full of nature where we can all share our day together, and this way when you go home (if you dont live there) you have already vented and reviewed and maybe learned from the others what you did wrong. Maybe even a scenario where we got 4 or 5 people to share an office/beachhouse or cabin for 6 months a year and you go back home for the other 6 so you stay fresh. That would help soooo many traders and by reading market wizards I got the impression that some of them love to be on the go and fly all the time. The best trading year of my life was when I lived in a hotel in either Orlando or Daytona Beach, overlooking the beach,and watching my laptop and the women on the beach and the waves simultaniously all day....every day. Then you dont care if you lose because you can still afford to stay in the hotel. Awesome lifestyle! Maybe my next move would be to rent a cabin with a lot of trails near by to go for walks all thru the day while trading.

 

I guess what Im saying is: GIVE ME THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND PLACE AND ITS GOING TO END GOOD NO MATTER WHAT. And no, I still havent gotten to that place where I can do that every year. But, one day soon..... I mean, why bother trading if you cant live where you want to and be around good people living a healthy lifestyle. The pubs at night with beer in a frosted mug is your business. "wink"

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Vince50    10

Vince50
Posted

I cant believe in my poll, not one person will admit that their back hurts after sitting in a chair all day? I should have checked that one off myself. Plus when you have a really bad day where you lost every trade, AND all the trades you held overnight went south...tell me you dont feel like you turned into an old man in one day? But no one checked that box. LOL

 

I guess you guys are all triathlon athletes here then, or body builders. -)

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jpennybags    11

jpennybags
Posted
Penny bags, Im stunned. If trading is a big part of your life, how can your bad days not be from the thing that is so important to you....trading!!!!? Unless your choice of relationships are sooo bad you cant think of anything else, LOL I admit I never heard an answer like yours. Is that good or bad? Elaborate a bit if you dont mind....

 

My bad days are not all that bad anymore. Even on a day where I'm not trading well I manage to drag off something or finish flat (ish)… no real damage done. It wasn't always that way and I'm not so far removed that I can't easily recall the pain.

 

Finishing (beginning) emotionally flat on the day is a good skill to learn. It may just be my personality, but I know that after a large day, I'm going to be looking for follow through on the next day. Likewise; or possibly just the opposite, on a "bad" day I'm going to follow on the next day looking to make up lost ground. There are some aspects of "good" and "bad" fortune that forms any trading day… it's not all you… so, get over yourself. I try not to put too much emphasis on the day-to-day efforts, but more emphasis on the longer term results.

 

Trading is a large part of my life… my previous career was as well. When working for a salary, you can have a bad day and still come away with a paycheck (one of the best things about having an employer). Trading is no different… you're going to turn in a bad performance once in a while… you pay. Not understanding the game or getting bent out of shape over a bad day seems unrealistic to me. Soak your head… throw stuff… break stuff… go work out… get over it. My method is to pour a double scotch… then sip and slip out of the day… but I do that on the good days too (ha).

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