When a trade is entered I notice my heart rate increases, I'm sure this physical change dumps chemicals in my brain which makes my thinking less clear. Do other people have the same issue and how do you control it? I always place a protective stop fairly close to my entry and I accept the fact upfront that I may be wrong in my trade thesis and lose on the trade. I'm also not trading risk in excess of 1% of my account. I've been trading live for several years. I've traded from 1 contract to 20 contracts and I can't say this increased heart rate changes much whether I'm trading a 1 lot or multiple lots. Thanks in advance and for the person who is going to say that I have no business trading and should quit because I'm afraid, go F yourself.
When your heart rate increases it's a good thing. It keeps your mind sharp and means you are having fun. You don't want to be too relaxed when you trade.It should be exciting. IMO, stops should not be too tight. You can't always pick the exact move. You have to leave room for some error and have the confidence in your strategy, but still maintain good risk controls.
When people gamble, they usually get this kind of excitement. It just means you are not yet over the gambling phase that everyone has to go through. The apparent less clear thinking is to do with the poor results attained. It's not the unclear thinking that is causing you to make the wrong decisions. Rather, the poor result is a consequence of gambling. Real trading is comparable to watching paint dry. Once you get to that stage, heart rate will no longer be a problem.
you might want to read an old book titled "The Swiss Axioms" the gist is, "You aint making money unless you are worried."
If a normal trade gets your heart up, what will a gap move through your stops, like last weeks in CHF do to you? Cardiac arrest time.. It could be many things on a subconscious level: You could be subconsciously trading for the rush. If it doesn't matter if you bet small or big, you subconsciously want the rush of having a trade on. Or it could be your subconscious lizard brain telling you that it doesn't want you be trading at all. It finds the risk and uncertainty of trading too stressful. It is generating a flight response, wants you to run away.. Get a heart rate and blood pressure monitor, and practice mediation/relaxation techniques.
Interesting that some say this is a good thing and some say it's a bad thing. Thanks for all the responses, I think ill get a heart rate monitor so I can be aware of it a little better.
Without exception, my best trading days, months and years were the ones that made my adrenalin rush. When I was so busy, I would forget to eat lunch. I was an options MM trading my own money. You can't sit back and relax, especially before electronic quoting.