Drawdowns in My Self-Trading Journey: Lessons from the Toughest Phase by a SEBI Registered RA

Trading is often painted as the road to financial freedom, charts, profits, and that thrilling sense of control over your own destiny. But what most traders don’t talk about enough is the drawdown phase, the gut-wrenching period where losses pile up, confidence fades, and you start questioning everything you thought you knew.

In this blog, I’ll share my personal experience with drawdowns, how they tested me, what I learned, and why that phase became the most valuable chapter in my self-trading journey.

When I started my trading journey, I was full of excitement and confidence. The market looked easy buy low, sell high, and success would follow. But soon, I realized the stock market doesn’t work on excitement; it works on discipline, education, and humility.

The biggest turning points in my journey came not from profits, but from drawdowns the painful periods when my account went deep into loss, and my confidence hit rock bottom.

💭 The Beginning Overconfidence Without Direction

Like many new traders, I started with passion but without structure. I followed market buzz, acted on half-knowledge, and entered trades emotionally.

At first, a few trades worked and that made me overconfident. I thought I could beat the market easily. But soon, the market reminded me who’s in control.

Losses piled up, and I started realizing: this isn’t luck, this is a lack of knowledge.

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⚠️ When I Went Against the Market

There were times when I was completely against the market trend, trying to “prove” my analysis right. When the market went up, I shorted. When it fell, I tried to catch the bottom.

Each time, I failed miserably. That phase taught me one of the most powerful lessons in trading: “The market is always right your ego is not.”

I later realized that my system itself was flawed. I was not trading with structure or logic I was trading with emotion and opinion. Once I accepted that truth, I stopped blaming the market and started correcting myself.

🎯 The Turning Point: Correcting My Mistakes

Slowly, I began to rebuild. I reviewed my losing trades, identified where I went wrong, and most importantly I learned to respect the trend.

I rebuilt my strategy from the ground up, focusing on:
– Proper risk management
– Trend-following logic
– Backtested setups
– Emotional control

Education and experience together became my strongest tools. Once I started applying what I learned systematically, everything changed my trades became calmer, my risk smaller, and my confidence more balanced.

📚 What My Drawdowns Taught Me

1. You Can’t Fight the Market – The market doesn’t move against you; it just moves. Learn to flow with it.
2. Your System Defines You – A weak system leads to weak decisions. Build, test, and refine continuously.
3. Losses Are Teachers – Every drawdown hides a valuable lesson; find it before moving on.
4. Education Brings Clarity – Without proper learning, you can’t control fear or greed.
5. Correction Takes Time – Progress doesn’t happen overnight, but persistence brings results.

🌱 From Drawdown to Discipline

Today, when I mentor traders, I often remind them: “I’ve been there, I’ve made the same mistakes you’re making now.”

Drawdowns taught me patience, education taught me structure, and experience taught me humility.

Now, every trade I take is backed by logic, not emotion. Every loss I face is a signal to review, not to react. And every phase against the market is a reminder that the system must evolve with time.

🏁 Final Thought

The stock market is not just about money; it’s about mindset. I’ve faced losses, gone against the market, seen failures, and corrected my mistakes. But every step made me stronger, wiser, and more disciplined.

If you’re going through a similar drawdown, don’t quit. Instead, pause, learn, and rebuild. Because sometimes, failure is not the end, it’s the start of a more educated trading journey.