{"id":14810,"date":"2011-10-04T13:30:49","date_gmt":"2011-10-04T17:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smbtraining.com\/blog\/?p=14810"},"modified":"2021-05-07T11:16:22","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T15:16:22","slug":"traders-ask-how-does-your-posture-affect-your-trading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smbtraining.com\/blog\/traders-ask-how-does-your-posture-affect-your-trading","title":{"rendered":"Traders Ask: How Does Your Posture Affect Your Trading?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi. My question concerns body posture when sitting at a screen for hours a day. I’ve learned I need to be very aware when trading of what’s going on in my brain, what I’m seeing and how I feel and think about it, and what baggage from life might be influencing my mood.<\/p>\n

Often though I also realise that my body is there with me too too, often being sadly neglected. Maybe I’m slumping, hunching shoulders and back. I’ve tried different kinds of chairs, soft and hard regular ones, a special kneeling posture one, now I’m on a large inflatable pregnancy ball. it’s an ongoing search for how best to look after myself physically. I spend a good bit of time doing physical stuff outside trading time but it’s the hours spent on screen when I’m not sure I take best care of my one and only body!<\/p>\n

Any advice to offer on how you guys deal with this aspect of a traders lot?<\/p>\n

Thanks.<\/p>\n

Dr. Andrew Menaker<\/a> responds:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being very aware of what you\u2019re thinking and feeling is a critical component of self-management, which can also have\u00a0a huge impact on how we make decisions. As we move from one mental state to
\nanother, our body, including our posture, and breathing, plays an important role. So, learning to tune into
\nyour body is a big part of self-management.<\/p>\n

There is an abundant amount of research in psychology, medicine, and in business showing how posture plays a role in communicating emotional states and influencing our decisions and actions. In fact, many technology companies have departments that conduct research on user interface and nonverbal behavior. Microsoft calls their department, Decision Theory and Adaptive Systems Group.<\/p>\n

We have both a central nervous system (brain and spinal column) and a peripheral nervous system\u00a0(nerves that extend throughout the body). The two systems communicate with each and have a profound\u00a0impact on decision-making and behavior.<\/p>\n

Try this. Spend a few minutes sitting slouched, with your shoulders slumped, legs stretched out, chin\u00a0dropped toward your chest. Next, spend a few minutes sitting up straight or slightly forward, raise your\u00a0chin and lean your head slightly to one side. Notice a difference in how you feel and the type and quality\u00a0of your thoughts?<\/p>\n

Not only does our posture impact our internal state, our body can also act as an emotional warning\u00a0system. And if you think about it, that can be very helpful in trading. We may be following price action,\u00a0order flow or something on the chart as an indicator to help us decide what to do. We can also use our\u00a0body as an “indicator”.<\/p>\n

Being aware of your emotional state is an important part of learning how to control your actions. Many\u00a0people have difficulty tuning into their emotional state. Focusing on physical sensations throughout\u00a0the body can help you become aware of your emotional state. Tense shoulders, butterflies or “pit” in the\u00a0stomach, clenched fist, muscle twinge,”nervous tick”, heart rate variability, and depth and rate of breathing\u00a0can be examples of an emotional state reflected in one\u2019s physiology. Our emotions are a form of self-communication, when we learn what the message is, we can often make better decisions.<\/p>\n

In my work with traders, I sometimes recommend a standing desk, instead of sitting, for traders that have\u00a0an attention or focusing issue.<\/p>\n

Many people, including traders, report that regular practice of yoga helps them maintain body awareness\u00a0as well as reducing stress.<\/p>\n

Possibly the single most powerful thing you can do with your body is to become aware of your breathing and\u00a0change it, if necessary. When trading, anxiety and tension can overtake us, often resulting in decisions\u00a0and actions that our not in our best interest as a trader. As traders, we must learn to use all the tools\u00a0available to us, including our own body, to make better decisions and learn to take control of our actions.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a simple but very effective technique I refer to as \u201cbreath first aid\u201d because it can quickly alter\u00a0your internal state and influence your decisions and behavior. Take four long, slow deep breaths, filling\u00a0your abdomen (not your chest) with air. Pause for a second at the end of each inhalation and exhalation.\u00a0And if possible, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.<\/p>\n

Dr. Andrew Menaker<\/a><\/p>\n

@popdoctrader<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Andrew Menaker is a full-time trader, with a PhD in psychology and has worked as a consultant and coach with institutional and retail traders since 1995.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi. My question concerns body posture when sitting at a screen for hours a day. I’ve learned I need to be very aware when trading of what’s going on in my brain, what I’m seeing and how I feel and think about it, and what baggage from life might be influencing my mood. Often though I also realise that my … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1532],"tags":[1929,1930,1928,30,1354,1349],"class_list":["post-14810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-blog","tag-affect-on-trading","tag-dr-andrew-menaker","tag-posture","tag-prop-trading","tag-trading-coach","tag-trading-mentor","no-post-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\nTraders Ask: How Does Your Posture Affect Your Trading? | SMB Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smbtraining.com\/blog\/traders-ask-how-does-your-posture-affect-your-trading\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Traders Ask: How Does Your Posture Affect Your Trading? | SMB Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hi. My question concerns body posture when sitting at a screen for hours a day. I’ve learned I need to be very aware when trading of what’s going on in my brain, what I’m seeing and how I feel and think about it, and what baggage from life might be influencing my mood. Often though I also realise that my ... 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