The Psychology Behind Holding Option Trades to the Targets!Hello Traders!
Entering a trade is easy, but holding it with conviction till the target hits — that’s where 90% of traders fail. Most of the time, we exit early out of fear, impatience, or seeing quick profits vanish. Today, let’s understand the psychology behind holding option trades and how to set yourself up for patience and discipline .
Why We Exit Too Early?
Fear of Losing Unrealized Profits: The moment your trade shows green, the mind screams “book now!” even when the setup is still valid.
Overtrading Mentality: You want to book fast and re-enter again, leading to emotional and scattered trades.
Lack of a Clear Plan: If you don’t have a defined target, SL, and reason to hold , you’ll exit at the first sign of volatility.
How to Develop the Patience to Hold Trades
Visualize Your Trade Before Entering: Ask yourself — “What will I do if price pulls back after entry?” Plan your SL, target, and trailing logic beforehand.
Use Alert Zones, Not Constant Monitoring: Watching every tick increases anxiety. Instead, set alerts at key levels and focus on the logic, not emotions.
Risk What You’re Comfortable With: If your position size is too big, you’ll panic during small reversals. Right sizing = calm holding.
Follow Structure Over Emotion: Hold as long as price is above VWAP/Trendline/Support (for longs). Only exit if structure breaks.
Rahul’s Tip
“The market rewards patience more than perfection.” If your analysis was right, trust it. Let the trade breathe. Stop treating every green candle as your exit point.
Conclusion
The biggest wins in options trading come when you hold with discipline . Build a setup where your entry has logic, your exit has structure, and your mind stays calm in between. That’s how you train yourself for consistency — not by chasing, but by mastering patience .
How long do you usually hold your option trades? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!
