Dealing with triggers

Have you ever been going along just fine through the trading day and then something triggers you and the wheels fall off and a big red day ensues?  The reason for this is once triggered you are no longer the same person.  The calm, calculated person that followed a plan and managed risk appropriately is gone.  The triggered version of you is emotional and lacking discipline.  

How do we fix this?  The key is to recognize that you have been triggered.  Say a trade goes from green to red and you take a $300 loss after having seen positive $500 on your screen, but you never locked it in.  You did something right to get up $500 in the first place, but the only thing that matters now is the negative $300 that has been locked in triggering frustration or feeling like you let one slip away.  This is where real time journaling comes in hand.  You have to get out of your own head and emotions and view yourself as a third party.  Write down what triggered you and how you feel.  Consider what you would tell a friend in a similar situation and follow that advice.  

Should you move forward with the trading day or call it quits?  That entirely depends on your ability to reset.  The above journaling activity will help many traders settle down their emotions and wipe the slate clean because the emotions have now been processed instead of running the show outside of your awareness.  Bringing awareness to them largely defeats them.  If conversely, you still feel overcome by frustration or loss then maybe it's time to shut it down for the day or at least an hour and come back later.