Mood Mind Map

Trading is often about how to take the appropriate risk without exposing yourself to very human flaws.
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globi166
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2018 10:24 am

What It Is
It’s a spider/spiderweb map (sometimes called a radar chart) that tracks common emotional states and their intensities—from 0 to 3. You can tweak the scale or emotions to suit your own experience.

I take screenshots of the map at different times of the day to spot how my emotional state evolves—whether it’s drifting from calm to excited, or from frustrated to stormy. These shifts are easy to miss in the moment, but they often have a massive impact on decision-making.

Why Bother?
Sometimes just one or two red trades can push an already fragile mindset over the edge—leading to a cascade of irrational decisions, revenge trading, or bigger-than-expected losses. The goal here is to catch those early warning signs and hit pause before it’s too late.

If I notice my mood moving into dangerous territory—like overconfidence, irritation, or defeat—I try to step away, take a break, or at least reduce risk size. Later, I can look back at the screenshots and better understand how things unfolded.

Who It’s For
This isn’t meant to be some hyper-accurate psychological model—just a rough approximation that helps me stay a step ahead of my own mind. I doubt many pro traders would find it useful (though who knows?), but for anyone still struggling with discipline, consistency, or tilt—it might be worth trying.

Final Thoughts
I welcome any feedback, suggestions, or criticisms. If you’ve got your own system for tracking mood and mindset, I’d love to hear how you do it.

This tool has already saved me from a few bad decisions by making me more aware of the emotional climate I’m trading in. Hopefully, it can help others in the same way.
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