How do I stop revenge trading?

1. 1

   Step 1: Open risk first

   If a position is on, leave it protected the way your plan says. Add nothing, and change nothing your plan does not already name. Open nothing new until step 4.

2. 2

   Step 2: One question: Overcharged or Shut Down?

   Overcharged

   • Heart going, jaw or shoulders tight, breath high in the chest
   • Urgent, as if you must act now
   • Can’t sit still; the chart has shrunk to one instrument

   Shut Down

   • Numb, heavy, foggy
   • No energy, “what’s the point”
   • Frozen, or wanting to disappear from the screen

   If the signs point both ways, go with your body. Energy high is Overcharged. Energy gone is Shut Down.

3. 3

   Step 3: Run the reset for your direction

   If following a one-minute exercise feels like too much right now, skip it. Close the platform, leave the desk, and talk to someone. The session is over for today.

   Otherwise, open the one that matches your answer.

   Overcharged: heart going, urgent+−

   Count slowly.

   Long Exhale 60 seconds

   1. Inhale through nose for 4 counts
   2. Exhale through mouth for 8 counts
   3. Drop shoulders, soften jaw
   4. Repeat 4-6 cycles

   Grounding Anchor 90 seconds

   1. Feel feet on floor, press down
   2. Feel back against chair
   3. Name 5 things you see
   4. Slow exhale, repeat: "Here. Now. Aware."

   If paying attention to your breathing makes it worse, skip the breathing. Press your feet down and name five things you can see, out loud if you can. That counts as the full reset.

   Shut Down: numb, heavy+−

   If “what’s the point” reaches past trading, or part of you does not want to be here, call or text 988, or text HOME to 741741, now.

   Orient & Name 90 seconds

   1. Slowly turn your head and look around the room
   2. Name 5 objects out loud
   3. Look out a window or toward the farthest visible point
   4. Say your name and today's date out loud

   Gentle Activation 2 minutes

   1. Stand and shake out your hands and arms for 30 seconds
   2. March in place with deliberate arm swings
   3. Complete 10 wall push-ups or another gentle movement
   4. Finish with 3 clear exhales

   If paying attention to your breathing makes it worse, leave out the three exhales at the end.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check again before the next click

   Ask: can I execute my plan with this feeling present? If you still feel you have to act now, that is a no.

   Can you feel your feet, hear the room, and find some curiosity about the chart? That is quiet. If the screen feels far away and nothing much matters, that is numb, and numb is a no too.

   The timer running out is not a yes, and neither is feeling calmer. If it is a no, run the reset once more. If it is still a no, the session is over for today. Leave the desk. Ending here is the protocol doing its job.

Most revenge trading runs hot: urgency, speed, arithmetic about getting it back. A big loss can also drop a trader the other way. Flat, heavy, nothing matters, and the oversized trade gets taken because nothing seems to matter.

Those two states need opposite moves. A long, slow exhale helps settle an Overcharged state and can leave a Shut Down one flatter still. The Shut Down reset gets you looking around and moving instead. So the question comes first, every time, even when you are sure you already know the answer.

A Shut Down state can feel calm from the inside. The noise drops, the urgency goes, and the next trade looks easy. That is why the check in step 4 asks for something present, like your feet, the room and some curiosity, rather than for an absence of feeling. The clock is not the test either. A state settles on its own schedule.

Write down your own tells while you are calm, and next to each one write which way it points: Overcharged or Shut Down. The revenge trading article lists common tells after a loss to start from. Keep the four steps where you can see them from the desk.

The State Map example on the home page shows which reset each reading gets.

How long should I stop trading after a loss?

Until the check in step 4 comes back a clear yes. The clock is not the test, because a state settles on its own schedule. If the answer is still no after one more reset, the session is over for today, and sitting out is a position.

Will a daily loss limit or a lockout stop revenge trading?

It can stop the click. A limit or a lockout does nothing about the state that produced the urge, which is still there when the lock lifts. The two work together: the limit caps the cost, and the protocol works on the state behind the next decision.

What if I cannot tell whether I am Overcharged or Shut Down?

Look around the room and name five things you can see. That step is part of both resets. Then ask the question again. If you still cannot tell, go to step 4 and count an unclear answer as a no for now.