THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAPS OF TRADING: STRESS AND WHEN NOTHING IS COMING OUT?
The psychological traps of trading waiting for the speculator at every stage of its development. For beginners especially relevant stress and burnout - a condition when you want nothing and not work. Talk about how to cope with stress in Forex.
When you take the final decision to make trading your main profession on this exciting journey may meet with some difficulties, which previously knew nothing. And today I would like to talk about such unpleasant things as "burnout".
Between stress and burnout there is a difference, but both deviations are very dangerous. Burnout is a condition in which you completely lose interest in the trade due to accumulated permanent emotional, mental and physical exhaustion. In this case, it is very easy to fall into a vicious circle. While in this state, you take ill-considered decisions that lead to bad trading results, which in turn causes more emotional and psychological exhaustion. How can I prevent or correct this situation?
HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE WARNING SIGNS?
Time to recognize a psychological disorder is almost to warn him. To understand that you are on your way to burnout until it fully possess your mind, very useful. Here are some alarming symptoms indicating a possible imminent appearance of real psychological exhaustion:
• Do you feel that the coming day will not be as successful and productive, he will not bring success in trading. You do not expect anything good.
• You morally difficult to trade. There is a feeling that you're wasting your time, instead of receiving only the devastation and fatigue.
• You constantly feel completely devoid of energy.
• You are tired of all that you do and you are happy with this.
• You feel that you are doing a very heavy and absolutely useless work (even if it is not).
• You start to communicate less with friends and family, more plunging into the work, however, productivity only decreases. The more you focus on the work, the worse you perform.
• In an attempt to get at least some joy from life, you can start to eat much, or even worse, to abuse alcohol.
Unfortunately, burnout is dangerous not only for professional activities. It has a devastating impact on all spheres of life of the trader. To the extent that it can reduce the immunity, make your body more susceptible to various diseases, affect the quality of personal life and family relationships.
YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRESS AND BURNOUT
Trading is quite hard work, coupled with constant stress and psychological pressure. It's true. And stress can actually be dangerous if not to struggle or not to use it to their advantage. But in this case, we need to understand the difference between stress and burnout:
• Stress is a condition characterized by excessive activity and psychological stress. You feel a sense of urgency, time pressure, anxiety and is more physical exhaustion. There is a feeling that you are trying to achieve, it's not worth your effort and your time.
• Burnout is a state characterized by withdrawal from activity, detachment, depression. Instead of being hyperactive, you will feel desire to surrender, to quit and leave. There is a feeling of helplessness, worthlessness, loss of hope. The emptiness and disappointment in what you are doing.
It is very important to reduce stress and burnout, but the latter usually causes more damage. If stress can make a friend, learn to use it properly, then burnout this option does not pass. Moreover, in severe cases, burnout can go into a full depression.
REALIZE THE CAUSES OF BURNOUT OF THE TRADER
Perhaps now you with a smile thought, "the causes just everything is clear: a lot of work under time pressure. Not enough time, but do you need all at once!" To some extent this is true, but in a simplified form. With this approach, the problem will solve difficult. Here are some more specific reasons for which you should pay attention:
• Obscure and expectations are fuzzy or unrealistic goals. You do not know what, why and what you want. If you constantly strive for something unattainable, you will always feel the disappointment as I will never be able to get the desired. This also applies to the tasks you set for yourself. If they are poorly defined, you will be highly disappointed.
• The monotony. Trading is a pretty monotonous activity. You do not have much variety during the work day, you don't switch from task to task.
• Workaholism. You spend 100% of their time trying to trade? If Yes, then most likely, you are sacrificing other areas of your life. There is no balance between work and life. You too little time to spend with family, friends, or doing something else besides trading.
• Desire to do everything yourself. Isolation increases the risk of burnout. If you have people you can talk to about your trading and get feedback from them, the likelihood of burnout decreases. Communication is necessary, but it is very important to carefully choose with whom to communicate.
• Chronic lack of sleep and lack of exercise. Take care of your health is necessary in the first place!
• Unhealthy perfectionism. If you have unrealistic expectations, and energy that you put into your work, always exceeds the results obtained, you'll probably burn yourself.
• Pessimism. A negative view of the world and on yourself can SAP your energy and lead you to despair.
• Intolerance of uncertainty. Life is full of endless uncertainty, and if you find it difficult to cope with this, you will be susceptible to fading. Tolerance for uncertainty is a skill that you can gradually master and thus escape from the need constantly to monitor everything.
HOW TO PREVENT BURNOUT?
There are a number of actions that a trader can do to reduce the likelihood of burnout.
Of course, it is very important to invest energy and time to learn how to trade, but you should never do it at the expense of their own health and balanced life. Every day make time to relax and do what you like. Get plenty of sleep, eat healthy food and exercise. If you want to learn how to set boundaries for yourself. Take some time to trade, and then stop. Make sure you think about something else other than trading. This can be a difficult task, but it's worth it.
IT WILL TAKE TIME TO RECOVER
What to do if you are already in a state of depression, fatigue, apathy and lack of energy?
You can start with slowing down your work or even complete cessation of trade. Do not think that just to change your attitude will be enough, it's not. Need to almost completely stop trading for a while. Despite the fact that you may want to isolate themselves from people who don't need to do that. Spend more time with those who you cherish and who cherish you, those who care about you.
After a rest, some time to sit down and evaluate your goals, daily tasks and expectations. Make the necessary changes to return to the trade, looking at her. Here are some possible topics for revision and rethinking:
• What are your long term goals as a trader?
• What are your short term goals? Do you have short-term goals that are realistic and concretely established? You have goals for this month? This week? On each day? As you can truly realize your goal?
• The tasks that you set for yourself every day, really sensible, doable and you will be able to solve them, without going at this crazy?
• Can you establish contact with other traders or people with whom communication will allow you to receive support and feedback?
• Are you ready to plan your time to not only work more efficiently but also to be able to communicate with family and friends, relaxation, creating the necessary balance in life?
• What else can you do to improve your trading results and at the same time to avoid emotional burnout, based on the information received?
EXPERT OPINION
Emotional burnout – not a pleasant condition, that from time to time may experience every man, regardless of occupation. Among traders it is also common, especially among beginners. Over time, with experience, such the emotional crash will happen less and less. In the meantime, wading through the swamp of difficult emotions, it is important to remember that you are not alone in your problem, and not helpless in addressing and preventing the occurrence.
If you are faced with burnout, read carefully again what's written in this article, rethink your own behavior, your thoughts and ideas emerged. Take a break, make the appropriate changes, and then again go back to trading with new strength and faith in yourself!