Cut Yourself Some Slack During the Trading Day!

I hear about so many people beating themselves up because they aren’t maximizing their time during the day. They haven’t organized their entire house, developed a side hustle, mastered a new instrument or worked out to the point of qualifying for fitness model status.

That’s Just Craziness! 

A Zen quote states, “Doing nothing is something.” This is something I think we need to consider in trading and in life.  Sometimes it’s ok not to be on the top of our game, or in this case, at the top of the chart. Just for a moment, we’re going to talk about a different chart. Not the charts we usually look at, but Maslow’s chart.

Let’s Get Back to Basics

If you look at Maslow’s chart, you probably will find yourselves trying to master the very basics — like eating good foods, drinking enough water, managing your sleep. And even if you’re doing all of these biological things right, you’re now worried about the next level which is your safety and security. It’s all overwhelming with all of the new rules in place that we’ve never ever had to think about before. Sure, we’ve always practiced good hygiene, but these new protocols are stressful and time-consuming.

Love and Belonging Stage

Cut yourself some slack if you find yourself not having the energy to be the jovial, fun-loving spouse, partner, friend, parent, whatever! And we need to do the same for others. Don’t compare how things used to be to how they are now. It won’t be pretty and you’re likely to damage your relationships. Remember that once we do get back to “normal,” you’ll have even more work to do. This is where the love and belonging stage needs to be addressed. We need to continue to nurture our relationships and show gratitude.

Everyone handles times like these differently. No matter how advanced one is personally, we’ve all been dwelling at the bottom of the chart at some point during all of this and that is to only be human. Once we’ve centered ourselves and those around us, then we can get back to using this time to climb back to the top of the chart. That’s where self-actualization can happen and yes, maximize this time we’ve been given.

Laughter Boosts Immunity

Be gentle, take care of the basics, and don’t forget to laugh.  I saw a tweet the other day that made me laugh. It read, “I keep having to remind people when they say now is the best time to learn a new skill, that the fact I’ve gotten this far in life without any skills, IS my skill.”

Laughter is the best medicine…in fact it boosts your immunity!.

And don’t forget, things will get better.  Take a deep breath and appreciate all you have. I promise that you will feel better

If you have any questions, be sure to leave a comment below!

And if you missed my recent articles, you can check them out here!

Desperately Seeking Personal Space

How Does Lack of Sleep Compromise Trading

How to Manage Stress in a Volatile Market