When I first started trading, one emotion hit me harder than any market loss ever could—FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out. It didn’t matter if I had a solid strategy or a trading plan written out neatly in a journal. The moment I saw a chart shoot up without me, my brain would start shouting, “Get in now! You’re missing the move!”
If you’re a beginner wondering how to handle FOMO in trading, let me tell you: I’ve been there, and I get it. The good news? You can get it under control, and it’s one of the most freeing things you’ll do for your trading mindset. Here’s how I tamed my FOMO beast—and how you can too.
What FOMO in Trading Feels Like
Before we get into strategies, I want to paint a clear picture. FOMO in trading isn’t just a passing emotion—it’s a real psychological challenge. It feels like:
Seeing a currency pair shoot up and thinking, “If I don’t get in now, I’ll miss the entire move.”
Jumping into trades with no confirmation, just because everyone else in a trading group is excited.
Taking a position after a big move, only to watch it reverse as soon as you’re in.
I’ve made all these mistakes. One time, I saw EUR/USD climb like crazy after a news release. I hadn’t planned to trade that day, but I felt like I was sitting on the sidelines of a money-making party. So I jumped in—at the top. Within 15 minutes, the price dropped hard, and I closed my position with a painful loss. I wasn’t trading my plan—I was reacting to my feelings.
Understanding the Root of FOMO
It’s About Control (or Lack of It)
FOMO usually stems from a sense of being out of control. We see others winning, charts moving, and we feel left behind. But trading isn’t a race—it’s more like fishing. You throw your line where the setup looks right and wait. FOMO is what happens when you dive into the water with your bare hands because you saw someone else catch something.
Social Media Doesn’t Help
If you follow traders on social media (guilty!), it can feel like everyone is catching perfect entries and exits—every day. Spoiler alert: they’re only posting the wins, not the full story. Learning to tune that out made a huge difference for me.
How I Learned to Handle FOMO in Trading
Here are the strategies I started using, one by one, to help keep my emotions in check and avoid the FOMO trap.
1. Having a Solid Trading Plan (and Trusting It)
Before I had a real plan, every setup felt like a potential opportunity. But once I defined:
My ideal entry conditions
My risk management rules
The exact indicators I trusted
…it became easier to say “No” to trades that didn’t fit the plan.
Now, if a setup doesn’t meet all my conditions, I don’t enter. I write it down, watch what happens, and move on. My plan is my filter, and it’s helped me stay grounded.
Personal tip: I actually wrote in big bold letters at the top of my plan: “NO PLAN = NO TRADE.” Sounds cheesy, but it works.
2. Journaling Missed Trades Without Regret
At first, missing a big move felt like failure. But now, I log missed trades in my journal. I write:
What I saw
Why I didn’t enter
How the setup developed
Whether it met my plan or not
This takes the emotional sting out of it and turns it into a learning opportunity. Often, I realize that even though the move looked good in hindsight, it didn’t meet my rules—and that means I did the right thing by staying out.
3. Reminding Myself the Market Is Always There
One mental shift that helped me massively was this:
Missing one trade is not the end of your trading career.
Opportunities are endless. The market will always offer more setups. Trying to catch every move is exhausting and unrealistic.
When I started telling myself this regularly, I felt less anxious about “the one that got away.” I began thinking in terms of weeks and months, not hours and minutes.
4. Reducing Screen Time
This might sound counterintuitive, but stepping away from the charts actually helped me feel more in control.
Instead of watching every price tick and trying to chase every move, I started:
Setting alerts at key levels
Checking charts only at certain times
Taking breaks during dead hours
This not only gave me mental clarity but also reduced the urge to jump in “just because something’s moving.”
Bonus insight: If you’re constantly staring at the screen, your brain is looking for something to do—and that often means making trades you shouldn’t.
5. Meditation and Mindfulness (Yes, Really)
Okay, I’ll admit it: I rolled my eyes at this at first. But after too many emotional trades, I gave mindfulness a try. A simple 5–10 minute meditation before I started my trading session helped center me. I used an app (Calm and Insight Timer are good), focused on breathing, and cleared my mind before looking at the charts.
It helped me make better, calmer decisions. The more I practiced, the less reactive I became.
6. Limiting Social Comparison
Comparison is a fast track to FOMO. I started muting traders who only posted gains and followed those who shared honest journeys—losses, lessons, and all.
It reminded me that no one wins all the time. Everyone’s journey is different. Just because someone made \$1,000 today doesn’t mean I have to rush into the next trade to “keep up.”
What Happened When I Handled My FOMO
As soon as I stopped chasing trades and focused on waiting for *my* setups, everything changed:
I started winning more consistently.
My losses became smaller and less frequent.
I stopped feeling emotionally drained after trading.
Ironically, stepping back and being *more selective* helped me trade with more confidence. FOMO no longer controls me—I control my trading decisions.
Final Thoughts: FOMO Is Normal—But It Doesn’t Have to Win
If you’ve been struggling with how to handle FOMO in trading, know that you’re not alone. Almost every trader, beginner or advanced, has felt that creeping sense of urgency to jump into the action.
But you can train your mind to stay patient, stick to your strategy, and trust that there will always be another setup. The market isn’t going anywhere. And the trades you don’t take can be just as important as the ones you do.
Keep a journal, trust your plan, and breathe—you’ve got this.
What about you?Have you ever made a FOMO-fueled trade you regret? How do you deal with the urge to jump in too soon? I’d love to hear your story.
Next Article To Read: How Mindfulness Made Me a More Disciplined Trader