Once the annual statement is released, those hard-earned moments of self-delusion and calmness collapse. The hope of a turnaround should have been abandoned long ago; 2025 is clearly set to be a year of losses.

But on the other hand, there are some encouraging changes. Since mid-December, I finally broke the habit of opening too many orders frequently, and I haven't impulsively traded in over two weeks. This might not be a big deal for many traders, but for me personally, it’s a significant adjustment in my trading mindset.

Sometimes, lessons learned from losses are more direct than making money. Instead of obsessing over the account figures, it’s better to first straighten out trading habits. This cooling-off period is probably just the beginning.