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Mercedes Oestermann van Essen’s Holistic Trading Mindset, Ep #35

by | Nov 19, 2020 | Podcast | 0 comments

Mercedes Oestermann van Essen Holistic Trading Mindset

Mercedes Oestermann van Essen Holistic Trading Mindset

Mercedes started in Commerce Banking in Germany because she’s always loved the financial markets. She moved into personal development because she has a keen interest in how reality is created. So she studied the wisdom traditions. She worked in seminars with entrepreneurs and military personnel. After her divorce, she decided to dive into intraday trading. Everything changed 20 years ago when she started trading—but she hit many roadblocks.

So it led her deep into the study of NLP, Reiki, ThetaHealing, neuroscience, and other modalities. She got heavily involved in meditation. She uses all of the modalities she’s learned to show traders how to trade to manage emotional reactions to the markets and themselves. In this episode of How To Trade It, Mercedes talks about moving past mental blocks, how self-criticism sets you up for failure and taking a holistic approach to trading.

The @_BuddhistTrader shares her holistic trading mindset in this episode of How To Trade It! Don’t miss it! #stocks #stock #trading #StockMarket #Investing #DayTrading #StockPicks Click To Tweet

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You’ll want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

  • [0:27] About Mercedes Oestermann van Essen
  • [3:13] Mercedes largest challenge in trading
  • [5:12] How to move past mental blocks
  • [8:04] How self-criticism sets yourself up for failure
  • [13:42] Take a holistic approach to trading
  • [22:50] What working with Mercedes looks like
  • [26:34] How to work with Mercedes

How to move past mental blocks

Mercedes points out that it starts by becoming aware. You can only deal with something when you’re aware of it. Mercedes had no idea how many deep-rooted psychological issues she had until she started trading. She thought her coping mechanisms were normal. She points out that unless you become aware that your actions and reactions are coping mechanisms, you can’t do anything about it. She shows traders how to ask questions and do gentle self-inquiry. It elicits information from the subconscious part of the mind that we normally aren’t privy to.

Why are coping mechanisms a big deal? Coping mechanisms act like a runaway train. The mind keeps repeating the same command over and over again. Mercedes notes we’ve been trained to do this since before birth—it’s generational. We take on the emotion of behavior and thought patterns of our mother in utero. It’s automatic and embedded and we are not aware of it. So what do you do?

Don’t fall prey to self-criticism and anger. Trading psychology can be very taxing. You have to intercept the behavior and put the brakes on. Once the train is out of the gates it’s far harder to stop it. It’s the same with the mind.

How self-criticism sets yourself up for failure

It’s about a process of observation. When you are critical of yourself, there is an element of judgment, of “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve” that furthers more frustration and anger. When you’re in anger and judgment of yourself, you’re walking around the world with blinders on. You block off the opportunities that are available to you.

Mercedes likes to trade Elliot-Wave, but she isn’t married to it. She’s learned to see if there’s a clear pattern, great. It’s an incentive. But if the pattern isn’t there, she looks for something else. The Elliott-Wave doesn’t have to be the only thing that allows her to take a trade.

When traders can’t find what they’re looking for—and they’re so married for the idea—they’re riddled with anxiety. You need to learn to be more open and see the complete picture of what’s on the charts and happening inside of you. What does she recommend?

How does self-criticism set you up for failure? Listen to this episode of How To Trade It to hear @_BuddhistTrader share her thoughts. #stocks #stock #trading #StockMarket #Investing #DayTrading #StockPicks Click To Tweet

 

Trader smaller—not larger

Trade smaller than you could comfortably do with your account. She believes when people say “you can trade with $3,000 in your account” it’s utter nonsense. It’s setting yourself up for failure because it forces you to be right all the time. You can easily hit three losing trades in a row—which happens to the best of us—and it can wipe you out. Even the best traders, statistically, still lose about 30 percent of the time.

Forex traders are often over-leveraged and wonder why their psychology doesn’t stand up to it. They’re always anxious. Mercedes has learned that if she has a few losing trades in a row, it makes no difference to her capital. Then she asks, “Are you in tune with the markets, or are you trading your view of the markets?” We need to recognize when to buy and sell.

Mercedes recommends a form of heart meditation and breathing techniques. It aligns the heart with the brain which in turn brings the mind-body complex into harmony. It eliminates fear. If you can learn to take that into trading, you’ll trade completely differently.

Take a holistic approach to trading

Mercedes has trained herself to pull back. She looks at her trades and says “how is my risk profile? Am I comfortable taking this risk?” Some days she isn’t comfortable. If she starts the day knowing she isn’t aligned with the market, she will have problems managing her trades and holding to her target.

So she walks away. The trade is a breeze when she’s in total alignment. She points out that we are not machines. We are tuning into the energy of the markets. It’s something many traders don’t realize. We must take a holistic approach to trading. What we do in trading we do in other areas of our lives. We use our patterns of working in life and trading. We put it in different boxes, we think they are different roads—but underneath they are not. Realizing where you’re exhibiting different behaviors can help you become more mindful. Without it, you won’t change.

Can you be okay—win, draw, or lose? Mercedes has learned the importance of pulling her identity from trading. She is there to observe high probability outcomes. She isn’t doing anything else. It’s a non-ego stage you should strive for. When she has a loss, it has no impact on her self-worth unless she lets it. The only difference? She may be down in her account for a week or so.

Since she’s learned this, she doesn’t always feel the need to go back and play catch-up. That sets you up for losses and stress. At the end of the day, it’s about managing your relationship with how you see yourself. What do you think of yourself as a human being? You always come before anything else. Trading and investing are channels of your expression as a human being.

What does working with Mercedes look like? What offers does she have available for listeners? Listen to the episode to learn more!

How do you take a holistic approach to trading? The @_BuddhistTrader shares her holistic trading mindset in this episode of How To Trade It! Don’t miss it! #stocks #stock #trading #StockMarket #Investing #DayTrading #StockPicks Click To Tweet

 

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Mercedes Oestermann van Essen

Connect With Casey Stubbs

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