After more than 20 years in this field— following rules, refining systems, reading positioning, and navigating multiple crises — I am living through one of the toughest stretches of my career. I will explain why…
Here is just an example:
Key Big Tech (i.e. Microsoft) got crushed in ways we haven’t seen since 1999 or the Global Financial Crisis.
https://x.com/MarioRandholm/status/2071944473592865198?s=20 for more charts
There is/was a relevant rotation out of the Nasdaq stocks, thousand-point swings in a few days, and volatility while other broader indexes tried to hold ground (Dow and RUT). The investor did everything right. The investor followed my process. And still… it didn’t work. A volatility shift took it stops…
This post isn’t about bragging or complaining. It’s about the psychological reality every money manager, those that risk their careers more than few time each year eventually faces: years where skill, discipline, and experience are not enough to prevent pain.
What This Feels Like (The Psychology)
- Your identity takes a hit. More many, trading isn’t just a job, it’s a dream and a calling. When performance collapses, do not allow it to feels like an existential threat. You can experience grief mixed with anxiety. Please note that.
- Cognitive traps appear: “I should have seen it,” catastrophizing about bills and savings, and the sunk-cost weight of all the years invested.
If you were trading key stocks form South Korea or the index. You are not broken. You are not a failure. You’re experiencing normal human psychology under prolonged market stress. BUT REMEMBER, KEY INDEXES FROM USA ARE AT ATH or WERE last than 30 days ago, and your index went from +100% to near 80% YTD…
THE MARKET IS CHANGING
Coping Strategies from 20+ Years of Surviving This
1. Take a Deliberate Pause (Protect Your Nervous System)
Stop trading for days or even a week. Your brain needs time to exit fight-or-flight mode. Use this period to rest, exercise, and reconnect with life outside markets.
2. Separate Your Worth from Your P&L
Markets don’t reward good decisions on a monthly schedule.
Remind yourself: Process adherence is your job.
Write down your non-trading identity — who you are as a parent, partner, friend, … Rebuild a broader sense of self.
3. Reduce Risk
When you return, cut position sizes dramatically. It’s professional risk management, you need to be able to give yourself another opportunity
4. Journal
Document emotions, trades, and lessons without judgment. This reduces rumination and turns pain into data.
5. Rebuild Confidence with Small Wins
Focus on process goals first (rules, compliance, not profits).
This month perhaps had destroyed some confidence traders but this was nothing compared to a real crisis, DOT COM and GFC started somehow like this. ATH that were never retested. The Market is Changing, I see it each day. As an example, AAPL, increasing prices and MU extraordinary numbers took the stock down… WHY?
To every trader and investor feeling this pain right now: You’re not alone. If you are down, remember, the process compounds over years, not weeks.
The market tests everyone. Those who endure with their rules and mental health intact are the ones still standing 20 years later.
Share this if it resonates. And if you’re struggling, drop a comment or message, sometimes just knowing others views helps.
Stay disciplined.
Mario Randholm
