{"id":67779,"date":"2025-05-20T15:45:26","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T15:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/?p=67779"},"modified":"2025-05-20T15:45:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T15:45:26","slug":"8-years-of-trading-madness-how-it-broke-me-yet-im-still-in-the-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/?p=67779","title":{"rendered":"\u201c8 Years of Trading Madness: How It Broke Me, Yet I\u2019m Still in the Fight\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

No glitzy \u201cI made millions\u201d fairy tales here\u200a\u2014\u200ajust eight years of trading chaos that smashed me to bits\u200a\u2014\u200aphysically, mentally, financially. I\u2019m down to a $5000 account\u200a\u2014\u200a$4800 balance, $300 buffer\u200a\u2014\u200aand still swinging like a stubborn fool who doesn\u2019t know when to quit. Eight years is a damn long time\u200a\u2014\u200along enough to break most, but not me. Want the full messy story? Grab a coffee\u200a\u2014\u200aor a chai if you\u2019re desi like me\u200a\u2014\u200aand let\u2019s dive\u00a0in.<\/em><\/p>\n

*AI-generated image<\/p>\n

The Crypto Craze (2017\u201321): Dreams, Migraines, and Self-Taught Grit<\/h3>\n

It all kicked off in early 2017, during the final year of my degree when I was more into hacking than trading. I was that kid who simply loved messing with code, cracking systems for fun. Within that period, I got to know about Bitcoin and Blockchain. Being a tech enthusiast, it caught my attention. I found digital gold that is nearly impossible to hack, limited supply and follows no rules\u200a\u2014\u200athat\u2019s my\u00a0vibe.<\/p>\n

By mid-2017, I jumped into the trading world with $1000 or something, and by late 2017, crypto went wild west. Bitcoin was blasting off, and I was a 20-something Rolls dreamer on Binance, chasing crores with 10x-20x leverage. Within a few months, I converted my portfolio to approximately $5000. And I still remember the 2nd week of January 2018 when altcoins crashed heavily. Within a few days, I had lost 90% of every penny of my profit, including my initial capital. My screen got frozen, my heart sank\u200a\u2014\u200a\u201cYeh kya ho gaya, bhai?\u201d My confidence bruised, but I wasn\u2019t\u00a0out.<\/p>\n

2018\u201319 hit me hard with high-intensity migraines that wrecked me. I couldn\u2019t hold a job, my head pounding like a war drum because of severe headaches. Then I decided, because of multiple migraine attacks in a week, \u201cFulltime Trading is the only thing I can do at my own pace,\u201d where I can be my own boss. I had already seen its growth, so I told myself, let\u2019s dive deep into\u00a0this.<\/p>\n

Hence, I turned to YouTube and Google\u200a\u2014\u200a18 hours a day, self-teaching trading, grinding through pain, prepping for the next crypto bull run. I was a one-man army determined to crack it. And yes! I did it. In the 2020\u201321 bull run after the third Bitcoin halving, the crypto market again started pumping, and I made some decent\u00a0profit.<\/p>\n

The Overdose Crash (2022): When a Forex Study Pushed Me Over the\u00a0Edge<\/h3>\n

November 2022\u200a\u2014\u200aCrypto was deep in a bear market, and 1% TDS with 30% tax (Indian law) had pushed me to explore the Forex market. Forex became my new battlefield. I started self-studying, diving into YouTube tutorials and Google, just like I learned Crypto Trading a few years back\u200a\u2014\u200alike a hustler, 18 hours a day, no\u00a0breaks.<\/p>\n

Migraines were brutal\u200a\u2014\u200amy doctor prescribed Migrabeta Plus, Divalproex OD, and Napra D to cope. One night, I overdid it\u200a\u2014\u200apopped some extra pills to keep going but blacked out. Three, maybe four days unconscious. Body weight fell to 53 kg, a skeleton with a pulse and guilt heavier than\u00a0ever.<\/p>\n

After a month of complete bed rest, I swore to myself, \u201cI\u2019m not done.\u201d I got a gym membership, followed a healthy diet plan with Shatavari (Asparagus Racemosus) & Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) Powder. I put 10 kg of pure muscle on my body within a few\u00a0months.<\/p>\n

*AI-generated image<\/p>\n

The Scam That Stung (2023): $50,000 Down the\u00a0Drain<\/h3>\n

After my re-birth, in January 2023, I jumped into forex live trading and bought a $5000 Traders Central (prop firm) account. Within one and a half months, I passed its Phase 1 and Phase 2 evaluation challenge and got live funding. Before their acquisition by another prop firm, I had cashed out $400 in\u00a0profit.<\/p>\n

I switched to My Forex Funds (MFF) and bought a $50,000 evaluation challenge, passing Phase 1 (8% target) and Phase 2 (5% target). I felt like a king on a budget throne. But overconfidence led me to scalp like an amateur, breaking my own trading rules. In the first week of August, I hit the drawdown limit and lost the\u00a0account.<\/p>\n

I took a week to analyze my mistakes. The next week, I bought another $5000 evaluation account. By following my trading rules and risk management, I had made 60% of the actual Phase 1 target. But on August 31st, the regulator shut down MFF, calling it a scam. I laughed and thought, \u201cwhat a fate\u201d (dark humor is my therapy\u00a0now).<\/p>\n

The Survival Grind (2024\u201325): $5000 and a Shaky\u00a0Hand<\/h3>\n

In November 2023, I invested in The5ers (another prop firm), buying a $5000 evaluation account. I easily passed Phase 1 but got stuck in Phase 2\u2019s 5% target. Whenever I reached the $225-$235 range, my emotions sabotaged me.<\/p>\n

Throughout 2024, I tried to complete the Phase 2 challenge but lost it in February 2025. Free $20K bootcamp accounts slipped away too\u200a\u2014\u200aclassic me, right? Now I\u2019m at another (probably the last) $5000 with $4800 left ($300 buffer), playing with a 12\u201321 EMA crossover and RSI divergence setup.<\/p>\n

My hand shakes when setting a 30 pips stop-loss. \u201cLoss hua toh?\u201d Fear\u2019s got me by the throat\u200a\u2014\u200abut I\u2019m not tapping out. I\u2019m backtesting on Demo with 0.2 lot on trend and 0.1 on counter trend before going\u00a0live.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 90% Quit, I Chose to\u00a0Fight\u201d<\/p>\n

What Eight Years Taught Me (And Why I\u2019m Still\u00a0Here)<\/h3>\n

Eight long years of scams, migraines, and losses stacked in front of me like a bad karma playlist. Crypto taught me grit, forex taught me patience. My first Bitcoin trade was when it was $3000 back in 2017. I\u2019ve learned the importance of Blockchain technology, Price Action with Volume Confluence, Multiple Timeframe Analysis, Order Flow, Scalping tricks, and much\u00a0more.<\/p>\n

I used to hold losses like a pro and watch them flip to profit with a smirk. And now? Every candle feels like a trap\u200a\u2014\u200afear has become my new broker. But here\u2019s the thing: the market has been kicking my ass, and I\u2019m too stubborn to quit my\u00a0passion.<\/p>\n

Eight years broke me\u200a\u2014\u200abody\u2019s a wreck, confidence hides in the shadows\u200a\u2014\u200ayet I\u2019m still fighting. Why? \u2019Cause giving up ain\u2019t my style. By September 2025, if I don\u2019t crack this $5000 into something real, I\u2019ll turn this madness into a book\u200a\u2014\u200aor maybe a blog empire. Till then, I\u2019m backtesting\u200a\u2014\u200alearning to trust my gut\u00a0again.<\/p>\n

Ever been smashed by life and still swung back? Drop a comment\u200a\u2014\u200aI\u2019m not the only crazy one out here,\u00a0right?<\/p>\n

#TradingJourney #CryptoTrading #ForexTrader #TradingPsychology #FinancialResilience #TraderMindset #PersonalGrowth #MindfulTrading #MentalHealth #PropFirmChallenge #TradingPain #MarketLessons #SurvivalStory #EntrepreneurialSpirit #TradingStrategy<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/strong> Edited with technical writing assistance. The core narrative, experiences, and personal insights remain authentically mine.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c8 Years of Trading Madness: How It Broke Me, Yet I\u2019m Still in the Fight\u201d<\/a> was originally published in Coinmonks<\/a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No glitzy \u201cI made millions\u201d fairy tales here\u200a\u2014\u200ajust eight years of trading chaos that smashed me to bits\u200a\u2014\u200aphysically, mentally, financially. I\u2019m down to a $5000 account\u200a\u2014\u200a$4800 balance, $300 buffer\u200a\u2014\u200aand still swinging like a stubborn fool who doesn\u2019t know when to quit. Eight years is a damn long time\u200a\u2014\u200along enough to break most, but not me. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interesting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67779"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67779\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}