Dealing with anxiety

[Ghost_of_Blotto]

Also people say "I will discuss it with my doctor." Problem is that most doctors learned most of what they know about pharmaceuticals from the sales reps. The sales reps aren't pushing natural treatments, we know that.

Then why do most people who do not have a medical education push (mostly unproven) 'natural treatments'?
I think that is pretty strong evidence that the sales reps have done a fantastic job pushing pseudo scientific quack cures on the discernment-challenged public.

 

[Frederick Foresight]

I am in my late 30s and you wouldn't believe how positively trading less affected my life.

Just curious. How did you go about doing that? Following fewer instruments? Spending fewer hours in front of the screen?

 

[rallymode]

Just curious. How did you go about doing that? Following fewer instruments? Spending fewer hours in front of the screen?

Mainly by reducing size and frequency which, inevitably, led to significantly less time in front of screens(pc and handheld). Obviously, the earnings aren't the same either but I find maintaining a certain state of zen more important than a higher number in a bank account. My goal isn't to make the most money in the world, not even among my peers and even though I consider myself still relatively young, I do wish I realized this earlier.

Many traders will tell you that they love the freedom this career provides. However, once you reach a certain level you become a hostage to your PnL, you are no longer free. Maintaining a healthy balance at that point becomes very difficult and the longer you stay on that road convincing yourself that it's your "passion" the harder it is to stop and the more imbalanced you become. Just my personal experiences and observations.

And if none of that is good enough then perhaps you can find solace and truth in the saying that it's better to quit while you are ahead

 

[Frederick Foresight]

Mainly by reducing size and frequency which, inevitably, led to significantly less time in front of screens

That combination would possibly, but not necessarily, suggest a longer time frame. Would that be right?

I find maintaining a certain state of zen more important than a higher number in a bank account

Maintaining a healthy balance

 

[TreeFrogTrader]

Then why do most people who do not have a medical education push (mostly unproven) 'natural treatments'?
I think that is pretty strong evidence that the sales reps have done a fantastic job pushing pseudo scientific quack cures on the discernment-challenged public.

I think we are agreeing. The sales reps have done a good job of pushing it on to the doctors. And in recent decades pharmaceutical companies have been allowed to market directly to the public, so now you not only have the doctor who has been inundated with sales reps but the patient comes in asking for a specific drug they saw on tv rather than expecting the doctor to tell them what is right.

 

[Daal]

sle,
I also struggle with this sometimes. Here is what I found helpful

-Properly done diaphragmatic breathing. As someone mentioned, this helps to slow down the sympatethic nervous system (flight or fight responses) and trigger the parasympathetic system (which calms people down). Its one of the few ways to trigger that system. A lot of sites teach bad ways to do diaphragmatic breathing. The best one that I found is on drlam.com, he calls it ''Adrenal breathing'' but its the same principle. He also teaches a ''Adrenal yoga'' which I find even more powerful. Just a quick session of Adrenal yoga (and it does not resemble yoga in the traditional sense) and I can already feel a significant amount of relaxation through my body

-Meditation. Although, you might have already tried it. If you haven`t, you might try a typical meditation exercise found online for 1 month and see if it helps

-Improving self-esteem issues. Sometimes that reason the anxiety is being triggered has to do with undealt with self-esteem issues/childhood experiences. You might want to read The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Branden. That book saved my life 15 years ago

-Emotional freedom techniques, or EFT (the tapping sequences). Although this never worked for me, a lot of people report it working very well for them. Its quick and free to try so why not

 

[Joe_D]

I am the opposite of overweight

Hillary Clinton is standing looking in the bedroom mirror… She is not happy with what she sees and says to Bill, “I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly… I really need you to pay me a compliment.” Bill replies, “Your eyesight’s damn near perfect.”