INTRODUCTION
Day trading can be both rewarding and demoralizing. It is rewarding when price fluctuations result in profits, but extremely discouraging when price swings result in massive losses. Losses leave a trader at the mercy of several negative emotions, including feelings of inadequacy. Other factors, besides unanticipated momentary losses, that trigger the feeling of inadequacy include a long money-losing streak, missed opportunities, or even a pervasive sense of anxiety. Hence, as you strive for success on the trading floor at all times, you should recognize that a variety of trading outcomes are possible, even for the most experienced traders, and seek ways to deal effectively with the outcomes and their aftereffects, which include negative emotions like inadequacy that might lead to failure.
If you use the inner circle trader (ICT) and smart money concept (SMC) trading styles for your day-to-day trading, you will find the above to be true and important because your techniques, even with expertise and experience, can be difficult to predict and apply, and they rely heavily on your frame of mind. Hence, you may so easily feel inadequate when your approach does not yield your expected results. That said, evidence-based techniques such as neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and hypnosis can come in handy in your bid to cope with negative feelings, improve your trading psychology, and consequently, your success. Let me expatiate.
UNDERSTANDING INADEQUACY AND ITS EFFECTS ON DAY TRADING
At one point or another, we have all felt inadequate either following self-reflection or sequel to interacting with another individual. We have had that feeling that tells us we are not good enough when comparing our outcomes to comparing to others or to our expectations - which is what inadequacy is. The feeling of inadequacy is commoner to traders because of the unpredictability of the outcomes of their trades. And this feeling manifests in several ways: self-doubt, undue anxiety, or fear of failure. For a trader, all the various forms of manifestation of inadequacy are detrimental to his trades because they can lead to impulsive decisions while entering and exiting positions, trading excessively, or sometimes, refusal to make another attempt, which may eventually lead to giving up altogether.
Another issue with feeling inadequate as a trader is that if you do not address it properly, the feeling can become ingrained in your subconscious mind, and from this unseen site frequently launch emotional attacks that will impede the success of your daily activities. Inadequacy can then produce negative proclamations and beliefs that handicap your success rates and further generate and reinforce greater feelings of inadequacy, eventually making the feelings harder to subdue. Your mind is left wallowing in a cycle of inadequacy, and this is not good for your day trading activities. However, by using neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and hypnotherapy, you can access and reprogram both your subconscious and conscious mind to eliminate negative feelings and learn to replace negative thoughts and emotions with more positive ones.
By the way, day trading and traders are repeatedly mentioned in this piece, however, other types of traders are not exempt from the feeling of being inadequate and hence would benefit from this piece. All traders, irrespective of their trading style, techniques, and frequency, are at risk of feeling inadequate from their trading activity and NLP and hypnosis can help them.
USING NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING TO CHANGE YOUR INTERNAL DIALOGUE
Neuro-linguistic programming uses language to communicate a pattern/lifestyle that can be used to alter the mental and emotional activities of an individual. The technique uses the established connection between language and positive behavioral modulation to help individuals reorganize their internal dialogue to achieve their desired outcomes. NLP involves the use of carefully chosen words to raise your awareness of your behaviors to uncover negative thought patterns and behaviors that reside in your subconscious mind, allowing you to bring them to the conscious mind for evaluation of strengths and flaws. The step above is followed by comparing the identified weaknesses of your behaviors and internal dialogue with those of others while studying how they overcome their weaknesses. Carefully crafted words would then be further employed to communicate models of other people’s approach to overcoming the weaknesses of your internal dialogue to you so you could use the model to positively change your internal dialogue, restructuring your thoughts in a more empowering and positive way to achieve your desired results. In essence, NLP offers a means for you to identify and modify limiting beliefs and behaviors, ultimately empowering you to reach your full potential.
OVERCOMING INADEQUACY WITH NLP AS A DAY TRADER
For a trader that constantly feels inadequate, NLP helps you to use other people's approach to overcoming inadequacy easily and as frequently as you desire. It also allows you to model your self-defined approach to overcoming inadequacy for repeated use. Sometimes, to overcome your feelings of being inadequate, NLP may simply involve encouraging you to think, "I am learning from my mistakes and improving every day," or "I can overcome this because others have," rather than "I always make mistakes when I trade," on the basis that a positive change in thought process is an approach that has worked for others. By allowing you to focus on the positive aspects of your trading journey and constantly exhuming positive energy, NLP helps you to build your confidence and mitigate feelings of inadequacy.
USING HYPNOSIS TO ACCESS YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
Feelings, whether negative or positive, are mental activities that can only be altered by an intervention that allows access to mental hideouts. Hypnosis is one of the few interventions that allows access to this hideout. Hypnosis may be expert-guided or self-guided, and it involves entering a trance-like state of relaxation and heightened awareness of one internal environment without completely losing awareness of the external environment.
REPRESSING INADEQUACY WITH HYPNOSIS FOR TRADING SUCCESS
In a state of hypnosis, your responsiveness and receptivity to positive suggestions are heightened and your subconscious mind is more easily accessible. This makes it possible to target and modify the underlying causes of your feelings of inadequacy that have been ingrained in your subconscious and replace your hitherto-harbored negative beliefs with positive ones. For example, a hypnosis session may involve guiding you to visualize yourself as a trader making profitable trades, feeling confident, free of self-doubt, and in control of your trading decisions. Hypnosis essentially reprograms your mind, starting at the subconscious level and moving up to the conscious level, thus creating in you a new, positive self-image.
COMBINING NLP AND HYPNOSIS AGAINST INADEQUACY FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT
Both NLP and hypnosis can be employed as standalone techniques for overcoming inadequacy, however, while both NLP and hypnosis can be effective on their own, combining the two techniques ensures they potentiate each other. As NLP refashions your negative thinking, hypnosis etches positive suggestions and thought processes into your subconscious mind, which eventually manifests in your conscious state. With both techniques, you will no doubt create a lasting change in your trading mindset. You will transition from inadequacy to self-confidence in a little while.
CONCLUSION
It is not a strange thing to feel inadequate as a trader. In fact, feeling inadequate is a common problem for day traders. However, if you use techniques like NLP and hypnosis - and we can teach you how to - you will learn to overcome unpleasant feelings that harm your trades and improve your trading psychology and success. With NLP and hypnosis, you can establish positive self-images and build confidence in your skills, techniques, and decisions.
JUST A CALL AWAY
To learn about how to overcome inadequacy as a day trader using neuro-Linguistic programming (NLP) and hypnosis, reach out to Matthew Tweedie - an expert and certified Hypnotherapist, Hypno-Psychotherapist, NLP Coach & Trainer of Hypnosis and NLP. His services are highly sought after.
NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING (NLP) AND HYPNOSIS FOR DAY TRADERS: A SERIES PART 1: AN INTRODUCTION