This is what drives me nuts. You go short, add into your position and then once you are proven wrong the stop is too far away to go long. How do I avoid these situations and be able to tell when its the start of a new trend? Maybe, I need to be hedging these trades to make sure that I have the correct direction.

i wanted to put these charts up so you can see why i believe they worked. it all had to do with the market bottoming and turning around. i have noticed this was the case in most of my winners and losers. either the market went with my trade or it went against my trade. and that simple fact determined the outcome.