Almost. I’ve come quite a ways over the years. When I profit, I don’t feel excited or happy anymore. It kinda feels like nothing. When I lose, it sucks, but I’m not sad.
I used to get sad when I was just losing again and again. I can’t say I’m totally numb to wins and losses, but I certainly feel better than before. No more emotional roller coasters.
My goal is that winning and losing should feel the same.
@ria_rose What do you think?
That’s what I was gonna say. I wouldn’t trade. I’d let my brain rest a bit.
That’s a very interesting way to put it. 
But I must admit this kinda feels a bit too sad for me. 
Huhu. Does this also mean you don’t give yourself a treat every now and then, even when you get winning trades? 
I do this and it takes quite a while to get back to the rhythm of trading. 
Why does it feel sad? My happiness is a choice that doesn’t depend on whether I lose or win money. Why is that kind of choice sad?
I give myself treats no matter what! haha
Win or lose, I’m enjoying some ice cream! Or could be some pork rinds.
@ria_rose Answer me this:
How would you feel if your losing trades had very little effect on your daily mood?
My vacations are at a cabin with no WiFi, so if I wanted to trade I would have to use my phone, so no, I don’t trade on vacation. Much.
However, I do find it difficult detaching myself from trading for extended periods. Same goes for my full-time job. It’s a trait that certainly irritates my wife.
That determination will either make me successful, kill me, or both.
Lol same. There’s always a reason for treats! Life is short!
Some people are just built different! I don’t think it’s a bad thing!
Nooooo. I mean, I don’t think it’s sad for you. And it’s great that you’ve developed this mindset. But I guess for me, since I’m a very emotionally-driven person this would be quite challenging.
As you should! 
After all the work you put in. Much deserved! 
That would be great. HAHAHA. If I could be numb to my losses, but happy for my wins, that would be perfect for me.
I can see why that is. Haha. But your vacations sound extra peaceful! The challenge is really just to stop thinking about forex while you’re there!
That’s an option, as well, and it’s a worthwhile goal.
Haha I’m not quite there yet. But, I’m getting there. I’m not totally numb, but losses don’t affect me as much as before.
Well, you’ve got your work cut out for you, huh?
Still commendable progress! Just got curious. Do you remember the last time a loss really affected you?
Well, it’s been a gradual process. One in particular that stands out is when I was so sure that EUR/USD was about to go to the moon. The more it went down, the more I added. You can imagine how this trade ended.
I lost about 20% of my account in that trade. That was a turning point for me.
Besides that, there have been small losses. And up until I learned to detach myself more, each one was an emotional blow. I was frustrated and didn’t understand why I kept losing.
Keep in mind that my account balance has been steadily going down for three years. I suppose during the last year or so, I started letting go. But that frustration has to turn into something.
If you’re losing consistently, something is wrong, and something must change. Go back to the trade and see what you SHOULD have done. Repeat that analysis for 20 or so trades, and hopefully you’ll see a pattern.
I feel you here. Phones are so smart and charts and trading software looks decent on mobile, so it’s easier to trade right now I think. And you always have your phone. So the itch is always there.
“Check the charts!”
It’s hard when you get to this stage! It’s just constantly feeling discouraged 
Oh boy. I definitely know that feeling. It’s quite unpleasant. Whenever I lost, my mind would go down a dark hole. Then I’d examine my losses, get a clue to change my strategy, and that clue provided enough inspiration to keep going. That cycle continued for a while.
I chiseled my strategy continuously.
Now, the only thing left to chisel is me. But during my process, one of my rules was ¨keep going¨.
Yea, that happened to me this year. Almost a 20% haircut on a couple of dumb trades, that turned into a string of big losers. Took me out of the game, back to demo, back to wondering whether I was good enough to do this.
Well, I’m back to profitable, I’ve learned a lot, still working on a lot. But if I can pick myself up off the ground, I know I can be successful.
Right. The most cliché advice is the best: don’t give up.
Good for you that you dusted yourself off and kept going!
Any particular lesson that stands out in your mind from that experience?
Oh man, good question. Couple things come to mind.
Probably sticking to the game plan. I have a bad habit of revenge trading. Immediately trying to win back pips I’ve lost. I think that mostly out of my system. It means being more patient for sure.
Waiting for price to pick a direction around key price levels. I’d decide my trade direction before letting price do the work for me and then just jumping in to catch the ride. I got caught so many times entering at the tops and bottoms of trends reversals it’s not even funny.
On strong trends, scaling in an extra position or two.
And setting smaller TP orders! Locked in the profits instead of hoping for the homerun trades. I mean I got some of those, but I think a big difference was gaining those pips on trades where maybe before price would retrace back to or below my entry and it would do that several times, stuck in a range or something, before returning to the main trend. So I’s sit and wait watching price bounce up and down in a range when I could have been trading that movement, instead of waiting for the larger trend to continue.
Bigger stops and maybe less stops. I’ve let some bad trades run against me sometimes 50 and 100 pips. In the past, my stop would have been hit, but an even bigger stop gives me room for those trades to turn around. Capital preservation. Maybe a bit risky, but it’s been working for me.
Right, there are some nice trades in ranges. It sounds like you did some analysis. You found an opportunity to make additional trades. Good job!
I’ve had to learn that lesson, as well. When I open a position, besides giving it room to breathe, it also has to have TIME to breathe. Just because price has returned near your stop doesn’t mean it WILL hit your stop. Have patience–it may turn around yet.
Oh no. 20% of your account in that trade alone? 
I would probably react the same way. (Or much much worse!) But I think it’s great that you didn’t let that stop you from continuing with your trading. With that much investment in your trades, I could understand why detaching yourself is the best way to go about it.
Definitely agree with this! 
