Janice Dorn, MD, PhD
Neuropsychological Trading Coach
Janice Dorn, M.D., Ph.D., has been a full-time futures trader since 1994. Doctor Janice holds an M.D. in psychiatry and is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. She holds a Ph.D. in brain anatomy. A graduate of Coach University, she is a pioneer market psychiatrist and financial neurobehaviorist. Doctor Janice has written over 500 articles on the financial markets and coached over 600 traders worldwide. She is the Global Risk Strategist for Ingenieux Wealth Management Group, Sydney, Australia.
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A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking…Earl Wilson
The thrills, chills, ups, downs and all-arounds that market participants have experienced this week are unprecedented. If you felt like you were on a roller coaster or at an amusement park, you were not alone. Naturally, it doesn't feel all that great when you see large shifts in your portfolio from day to day and are either panicking at the lows or getting bullish at the highs. It's an upside-down, news-driven market that is hanging on every word from the Fed. Perhaps it has always been this way, but for some reason, this past month has "felt" different. The markets abhor uncertainty and we have had more than our share of it in recent weeks.
Just as the markets reflect the emotions, thoughts and actions of every one of the 60 million people trading around the world, we now have an opportunity for self-reflection. A long Labor Day weekend is ahead of us, and that means a break from trading. Many are looking forward to this, and many are not. Those who do will choose to unplug, unwire and unwind. Those who don't likely require more assistance from me because they are at risk of withdrawal symptoms caused by removal of the flickering ticks and high drama of the markets.
Recent studies have shown that more than one-third of people take their computers with them on vacation. Hotels, airports and hospitals around the world are catering to the millions of people who are "always connected." Why do we need to be online at all times? What would we miss if we unplugged ourselves from the constant barrage of e-mails, breaking news, alerts and every manner of communication that comes pouring into our inboxes each minute?
Part of the reason that we don't want to unplug is that we know what could be waiting for us when we reconnect after a break, and the thought of it is simply overwhelming. We might have missed some critical communication, or some piece of information that we simply had to have in order to function. We might not get that special joke or something that has been forwarded so many times we don't even know who it came from. Much like a trade where we "have to get it and just can't wait any longer," we can't disconnect, unplug and unwind, because the next e-mail might be the one that will change our lives.
We are in a rut of enormous magnitude. As traders, our lives are scheduled and regulated. Many of us do the same thing over and over again, day in and day out, during market hours. We are totally connected, because that is part of our job. There is nothing wrong with that—or is there?
The brain learns by repetition. Patterns of thought and behavior become learned through a process called "entrainment." Our scope narrows more and more as a result of this process. This can be a real advantage to the trader, but it is not necessarily healthy for brain and body. Just as our bodies require exercise and variation of the exercise routine to keep challenging the muscles and growing a stronger, more flexible body, our brains require novelty and new experiences in order to increase synaptic strength and agility.
When we get a long weekend off and unplug, unwire and unwind, we actually open up our brains to new situations that flex the brain much the way that new exercises work muscles that we have not used before. We do our brains and our trading a wonderful service by giving the trading synapses a break to allow them to rest and recover from months of grueling work in the markets. By turning off our computers and televisions, we open ourselves up, albeit for a long weekend, to a wonderful new world of possibilities.
We find that there are so many experiences we have missed by tethering ourselves to our electronic devices. A trip to live theater, the symphony, lunch or dinner with real people at a magnificent restaurant, walking in the park, sitting quietly and listening to the sounds of silence, watching a beautiful sunset and holding hands with someone you love are just a few of the ways that we can refresh, revitalize and renew our brains and our bodies.
Trading is among the most intense and challenging of any occupation. We all need breaks from trading in order to return in a revitalized manner. Part of this revitalization has to do with engaging in activities that are not familiar and that will allow your brain synapses to grow and make new connections with each other. By seeing the world through your own eyes, but away from the dismal and impersonal aspects of the computer and TV, you actually nourish and give oxygen to areas of your brain that have become dormant. It doesn't take much to sit down and write a letter by hand or to pick up the telephone and have an actual conversation with someone you have not spoken with in some time. The negative ions in the fresh mountain or ocean air will detoxify any stagnation in the brain and cause the synapses to hum with contentment.
The markets will be here next week—they are not going anywhere. The real question is this: Where are you going?
For my part, I am going to the mountains, to sit quietly without a computer or a television and allow my brain and body to restore, renew and revitalize from many months of intense work and caregiving. I want to listen to the sounds of nature and feel myself healing from within. I want to pick up the telephone and invite a friend to meet me for a long afternoon of just hanging out, great conversation and good healthy food.
It is time to detoxify and unclutter our brains and bodies in preparation for the next three months of trading. When you get back from your break, please let me know how it feels to you to unwind, disconnect, unclutter and revitalize your brain and body.
For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin—real life. But here was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that this was my life. This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way…Alfred de Souza
Until Next Time,
Good Trading and (Revitalized) Brain On!
Janice Dorn, M.D., Ph.D.
janice@thetradingdoctor.com
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