Change your State, rewrite your Story, then apply the Strategy

When money gets emotional, smart people make strange moves. Your body tenses, your breath shortens, and the screen glow pulls you into doom scrolling. The fix begins in your body, not the spreadsheet. Two minutes of posture and breath changes can reduce stress hormones and sharpen focus. Then your story shifts from “I’m in danger” to “I’ve got a plan.”

I worked with a software lead who bought at peaks and sold at lows, every time. We added a pre-trade ritual: stand, shoulders open, deep breaths, shake out hands. Then he wrote his current money story in one sentence. It started as “I’m always late and markets punish me.” We replaced it with, “I invest on a schedule and ignore noise.” The next time markets fell, he read that line out loud, glanced at his written rules, and stuck to the plan. Micro-anecdote: he texted me a photo of his sticky note next to a half-finished mug. The note had coffee stains, but it worked.

This isn’t magic. It’s neurobiology and habit design. Physical state influences hormones, which influence thoughts. Stories shape attention. Rules guide action. I might be wrong, but most “irrationality” disappears when we change state first, then story, then apply strategy. In that order.

The frameworks here are simple. State: posture, breath, movement to influence your arousal level. Story: a one-line identity statement that directs attention. Strategy: prewritten rules so you don’t invent plans mid-stress. Used together, they reduce panic and increase follow-through.

Before you make a money move, stand up and do a 120‑second reset: shoulders back, open chest, deeper breaths, and a little movement to unlock tension. Then write your one-sentence money story as it is now, and notice where it traps you. Replace it with a line that’s true and useful, like “I follow my rules, not my feelings,” and read it aloud. Now, with a calmer body and a better story, run the plan you already wrote—transfer the money, rebalance, or do nothing. Keep the ritual short so you’ll actually do it. Try the two-minute reset before your next account check.