Five Ways to Develop the Mental Fortitude to Endure Drawdown with a Simple Position Expert Advisor
〜Mental Muscle Training Needed to Become a Long-Term Winner〜
Hello! For those using FX automated trading (EA), have you ever experienced this?
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You were steadily making profits, but suddenly felt anxious due to drawdown (unrealized losses)
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You paused the EA thinking “this might be it,” and when performance recovered you regretted it…
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You’re worried about others’ results and doubt your own trading
If any of this sounds familiar, what follows could change your FX trading life.
■ First of all, drawdown is not inherently bad
First, what you should understand is that “drawdown = bad” is not true.
Even the most excellent EA almost always has some drawdown in operation.
✅ Even professional traders endure several months of downturn
✅ Even an EA that trends upward in the long term has its valleys
✅ Temporary losses are part of “future profits”
EA is ultimately a “probabilistic strategy.” Even with a 70% win rate, losing streaks can occur.
What matters is how you get through that phase. Yes, it’s about mental resilience.
■ Why single-position EAs feel unstable
Unlike averaging-down EAs, single-position EAs rarely take big hits, but
the wins and losses of each position stand out,making it harder to feel like you’re winning.
Especially…
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A reversal immediately after a stop-loss
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If you look only at the near term, you feel you’re not increasing at all
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Compared to flashier EAs
This kind of “comparison” and “impatience” can distort your judgment.
■ Five methods to cultivate the mindset to withstand drawdown
① Thorough backtesting to turn expectations into conviction
First, the reason you can’t believe in the EA is a fundamental anxiety about whether it really can win.
To address this, you must performsufficient backtestswith your own hands,
・which market conditions it wins in
・how long drawdown lasts
・how it looks on a multi-year basis
…and be able to explain it in your own words.
This is not a mental exercise but “preparation.”
② Develop a habit of viewing performance over 12 months, not monthly results
EA operation isinvestmentand not a “monthly salary.”
Single-position EAs tend to have scattered winning and losing months.
Focusing on the near term causes unnecessary stress.
From the perspective of “how much can it grow this year,”manage performance on a yearly basis.
③ Separate accounts to create a mentality of not constantly watching
Drawdown anxiety arises because you keep checking daily.
If checking brings you down, try to create an environment where you can leave it alone for about six months.
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Delete MT4 from your phone
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Use a different broker account and make logging in difficult
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Limit checks to once a month via reports
Having distance from the operation is also key to staying calm.
④ Visualize performance with graphs to regain a calm self
During drawdown, it’s recommended to record your trading graph.
By recording daily profit/loss and unrealized P/L in Excel or a spreadsheet…
✅ Realize you’re not as emotional as you feel
✅ See that you’re not actually decreasing that much
✅ Reviewing past recoveries helps you stay calm
Numbers and visuals become your shield of rationality.
⑤ Do not compare with others. Focus only on your own goals
Seeing others’ “huge gains” from EAs on social media or forums can be nerve-wracking.
But you don’t know what will happen for them in the next month.
What you need is “what you want to become.”
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If your goal is a 20% annual gain, that’s fine
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If you prioritize stability, you don’t need to compare with averaging-down EAs
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If you aim for “investing without drawing down,” focus on that
Keeping a steady axis prevents you from being swayed by market waves.
■ Summary: Winners are those who don’t quit
Drawdown is a sign that the EA is alive.
And only those who persevere through that periodreap the profitsin EA trading’s reality.
Strengthening your mental state as a trader is as important as money management.
Please, don’t chase near-term gains,
and continue trading believing in “the future self will be smiling.”
? Final: Recommended practical checklist
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Reconfirmed the EA’s annual backtest
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Judging performance by annual rather than monthly results
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Took measures to not look at the trading account
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Regularly graphed performance records
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Not getting swayed by others’ results on SNS or forums
If you practice these five, your mental strength will surely grow
Please use this as a reference
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