Trading Anger Management

[rhysmr2]

Does anyone have any advice on this subject?

I only have a problem during trading, once the trading day is over I'm calm and everything is fine. During trading a few losses can turn me into a completely different person. As immature as it sounds I throw things around and I've damaged so many things over the years it's just stupid. Expensive things as well.

It can't be good for my health either!

I go the Gym every morning and lift heavy weights to relieve any stress (and it's a hobby) but if anything this seems to make things worse

Just today after losing about £100 in a few races I've ruined my new desk, since I've been fine and pulled my loss back.

Also in anger I have made some crazy trades using my full bank and needless to say it's gone horribly wrong ruining my whole week sometimes worse.

Anyway, has anyone overcome this problem? I need to if I want to continue trading for a living.

[freddy]

ive got a BB gun now and when i get stressed i shoot stuff in my office (not living things lol)

It works for me anyway better than throwing my wireless mouse like i used to do

get a punch bag or something

[jimrobo]

Thats a tough one mate!

If I need to change something (usually its not going inplay as thats my worst habit) I make a conscious effort to get out early and physically write no inplay in massive writing that I read before and after every market. SOunds silly but takes a while to ondition yourself to change a major habit like that.

How about printing out the massive loss you had when you chased and blowing it up and sticking it next to your monitor/desk. Everytime you take a loss and feel angry look at the massive loss and think if i don;t calm down that is what is going to happen to me??? You have to consciously stop yourself for a while before you can unconsciously change something behavioural like this I think.

[Euler]

I speak to another trader for most the session and we act as good foils for our foibles. That usually does the trick.

[oddstrader]

I think most of us have gone through similar experiences, the way i look at it now is this : £100 loss after 2 or 3 races is annoying but i can recover from the loss in another 2 or 3 races whereas if i trade recklessly it could and most likely would cost a hell of lot more than £100 - i can recover from a few bad races easily but a bank blow up could take weeks! and there is something very satisfying about recovering from a bad start you feel better to have worked your way back rather than gambled the lot in hope.

[pt9091]

before i started making money and losses were common on the pre race markets i used to have the same problem, but now I am making money my anger has dissapeared, not completely, now when I get a loss, I seem to have developed tourettes syndrome!

[jimrobo]

although I punched my desk earlier in the week too. Luckily I don;t do as many weights as you so the desk was ok!

[to75ne]

On another thread yonks ago, ferru123 suggested I read a book about meditation.

A lot of it was verging on pseudo science and baseless conjecture but some of it made sense.

There were various breathing methods that can if done properly level you out, calm you down. The way I understood it, gives you space to think things throw, and with practice they would to only take a minute or 2 to use/apply.

You clearly have a problem so it might be worth pm ferru123, he knows quite a lot on the subject, and it might be worth trying.

If you goggle the subject you get loads of clap trap written by people with noddy names, that are obviously not their real names as no sane parent would christen a child with a stupid name. so pm Jeff im sure he would not mind giving his take on things.

Regards

[LeTiss]

I can sympathise Rhys, I used to suffer with the same problem.

I think I've mentioned the big dent in my lounge door before. A flying coffee cup can cause lasting damage

I live next to a pleasant marina, so everytime a nasty loss is making my blood boil, I just stick my coat on and go for a walk or a coffee. After 30mins I return to my trading a lot calmer

[rhysmr2]

Cheers for the replies guys!

I'll give the bb gun idea a miss, I'd have no monitors left!

I'll definitely try the other ideas though. I will try my hardest to get up and go for a cuppa to try and chill out as well.

I've been stung with some huge movements today, very testing, last coupe of races have seen me down £160

[JollyGreen]

Hi Rhys

I would suggest you check your training routine. After you pump weights what is your warm down routine? If you get pumped for the weights session then you could be full of lactate that needs removing. What do you eat/drink immediately after your session? It may seem trivial but if you work out and then fail to warm down and replenish nutrients it can have a big negative impact.

Check your diet and try to cut out caffeine and also see if you are eating too many simple carbs. I know this may all sound like complete gibberish but it does make a huge difference. When you trade you are using nervous energy and your brain needs vital nutrients to function correctly. If you are training hard and not replacing nutrients then any stress can trigger a "meltdown" - I use that as a simple description and am not suggesting you are having a meltdown!

If you need proof, try trading when you are unwell or badly hungover - it is a nightmare!

Let me know if you want advice on easy nutrition I am more than happy to help.

[PeterLe]

I think it is good to have a little anger after a bad trade isnt it??
If anything over the last six months or so, I think I'm going the opposite direction and that cant be a good thing either?

[sweetybt]

I used to live with two body builders.

They certainly had anger management issues.

This could have been linked to living with me but I think it was more linked to a sense of insecurity and inferiority manifesting itself in a compulsion to have very large muscles.

They used to eat lots of eggs too.

Try jogging or Yoga.

[Predicton]

Hi R,

for what it's worth I've trained with weights for 37 years (also using heavy weights, well heavy for me, it's all relative, isn't it?)and with loads of olympic weightlifters, power lifters and bodybuilders. Apart from those on gear I don't know any who have developed anger through it and more than one has held world titles, so they have trained to the highest level. Personally it was, and still is, a great help in stress relief after a mornings agro at work (I do a six day split, five Monday to Friday dinnertimes and a Saturday night) I walk out of the sports centre relaxed and with life back in perspective.

I suppose "you pays yer money and you takes yer choice"

cheers, P

[sweetybt]

It must have been living with me that made them angry then.

Do you eat lots of eggs?