Trading Psychology For Dummies

Chapter 8

Adopting Techniques for Coping with Stress and Anxiety

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bringing the body and mind in harmony

Taking on the observer role

Leveraging anchor techniques

Working with visualizations

This chapter talks about various techniques for dealing more efficiently with stress and anxiety — techniques that, thankfully, are both effective and easy to learn. Whether you want to anchor new behaviors or work with mental images, the most important factor for ensuring your success is regular practice. Taking on the observer role — a crucial part of these techniques — may also feel awkward at first, but practice there as well will make it easier over time.

Fears are strong emotions that can suddenly throw you off balance. In Chapter 15, I talk more about the forms and causes of anxiety in trading and how to escape the fear trap. In this chapter, however, I want to focus more on neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and other mental techniques to cope better with stress and anxiety.

One objective of the various methods is to gain control over your emotional state. When trading, you ...