Why FOMO Hurts More Than Loss
Understanding the emotional weight of unrealized potential — and how to move through it.
You were right.
You saw the setup. You anticipated the move.
But you didn’t take it — and now it’s gone. And even though your brain says, “It’s fine, there will be another chance…” you still feel like you lost something.
That’s FOMO — the fear of missing out.
Studies1 show that missing a gain feels worse than taking a loss.
Losses can be processed, reviewed, understood. But when you miss a trade you should have taken — or almost took — there’s no closure. Just… unrealized potential.
Most traders think the solution is more discipline. But the solution isn’t to force yourself to feel nothing. It’s to understand what FOMO is — and reframe your relationship with it.
In today’s post, we’ll explore the two most common forms of FOMO:
Missed trades (the setups you didn’t take)
Missed gains (the profits you left on the table)
You’ll learn:
Why FOMO is rooted in grief
How to handle hesitation, unclear triggers, and overloaded watchlist
How to deal with post-win regret
Why you’ll never eliminate FOMO — and a practical tool to handle it.
After today’s post, you’ll walk away with clear tools to change your relationship with FOMO.