I lost 65% of my trades in April — but still ended positive in R. What am I missing? (Small Account Trader)

April exposed my trading psychology more than any losing streak ever did.

I reviewed my journal and split the month into two phases:

March 31 – April 10: Emotional trading. Revenge trades. No structure.

April 10 – April 30: Rule-based trading. Patience. Clear risk management.

The strategy didn’t change. My behavior did.

\---

Phase 1 — Before April 10

Trades: 18

Wins: 4

Losses: 14

Net R: −9.1R

Net: −$19.82

Phase 2 — After April 10

Trades: 14

Wins: 7

Losses: 7

Net R: +13.6R

Net: +$15.21

April overall

Win rate: \~35%

Net R: +6.7R

Avg Win: +1.82R

Avg Loss: −0.63R

So despite losing most trades, the math still worked.

\---

My takeaway:

The market didn’t change.

My discipline did.

Curious to hear from others —

have you ever had a specific day or rule that completely changed your trading?