The Writing Rescue

When you’re in the middle of a trading session and see your thinking process being overtaken by stress, strain, or emotions, it’s nearly impossible to think straight. That’s when bad trading decisions happen.

It happened to me last week, so I took some extra time to analyze all the steps that led me into that situation. It took a couple of days, but I finally figured out how to react and fix it quickly the next time I find myself in a situation like this.

Let me introduce the writing method.

Why Writing Works

When you read something, even if you’re emotionally overwhelmed, you can still see whether there’s logic in the text or not. Reading activates your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for reasoning and planning. That’s the very region you want to be using when making successful trades. But that’s also the region your emotions shut down during stress.

When emotions boil over, your brain shifts into fight-or-flight mode. Thinking in that moment is managed by the amygdala and other primitive structures. They evolved to protect you from existential danger, but not from something like market volatility. It feels to you like normal thinking, but your analytical brain has taken a break and your trading results are confirming that.

The hormones driving your system at this point — cortisol, adrenaline, and sometimes testosterone — make sure that your trading brain has little access to your decision-making circuits. You’re in the same physiological state as someone staring down an opponent in a ring, ready to fight, except your “enemy” is the chart on your screen.

The Rescue: Write It Out

Unlike in the ring, when trading you do have time and tools to force your brain to think straight.

To interrupt the flood of emotional impulses your amygdala injects into your reasoning when trying to decide if to enter a trade, or what to do with an open trade, start writing your decision-making process down. It can be in a notebook, or right next to your trading screen.

Example:

• My setups for today are A, B, and C.

• The price is now approaching entry point A from above. Looks like a good opportunity.

• WAIT — my setup A only triggers on a failed breakdown.

• This means I must ignore the price action until it actually breaks down and recovers.

• … (time passes)

• Okay, now the price is recovering A.

• It seems to be accepting the level; the setup is forming.

• WAIT — does it meet my price acceptance rules?

• Not really. Given the large leg down, more time is needed to confirm acceptance.

• I’ll have to wait at least 15 more minutes before taking action.

And so on.

I hope you’ll get the idea what’s happening here.

What’s Happening in Your Brain

Writing shifts control from your limbic system (emotion-driven) back to your prefrontal cortex (logic-driven).

This isn’t just a metaphor. Brain imaging studies show that labeling or verbalizing emotional states reduces amygdala activity and restores rational control.

In practice, writing forces your brain to translate chaotic impulses into structured language, which re-engages the very systems responsible for deliberate thinking.

Why It Works So Well for Traders

When you write, you create a visual and linguistic mirror for your thoughts.
This mirror helps separate emotional noise from rational analysis.

You’re not suppressing emotions. You’re giving them form, observing them, and comparing them against your trading system.

The act itself slows your physiology, brings order to the mental maze, and rebuilds the bridge between your trading plan and your mind.

The Takeaway

You can’t stop the body’s stress reactions, but you can redirect them. Writing is the simplest form of biofeedback available to a trader.

When stress takes over, write. It slows everything down. You will be able to verify your trading idea without making and entry or exist based on emotions.

It’s what turns chaos back into process.

Share this post with someone who is known for losing his mind during a trading session.