Been trading for two years and still struggle with FOMO and revenge trading. Lost more money to my own psychology than bad setups.
Looking for solid books that actually helped other traders get their head straight. Not generic self-help stuff but real market psychology content.
Market Wizards digs into trading psychology through real interviews. It shows how top traders deal with emotions when losing money.
What worked for me include strict position sizing rules and actually walking away after hitting my daily loss limit. Books help, but you’ve got to practice discipline with small money until it’s second nature.
Trading in the Zone by Douglas is the go-to book. Shows exactly why your brain sabotages you in markets and what to do about it. Minervini’s psychology chapters are great too - he nails position sizing to cut emotional stress and keeping losses small so you don’t go into revenge trading mode. Don’t bother with theory books. These two give you actual steps you can use. Honestly, most psychology issues vanish when you risk less per trade and know your exit before you even enter.
The Mind of the Market has some great insights.
Start with Trading in the Zone, then focus more on risk management. Your psychology gets better when you’re not stressing about how much you could lose.