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First day back after a week off, easing in with small size and one setup

I took a week away from the screens, and today is my first day back. I find that the first day after a break is one where I'm either too cautious or too keen, so I'm posting a plan to keep it balanced.

Size is half of normal. One setup only, the one I know best, which is the London range break with a retest on M5. I'm not trying to catch up on what I missed or make up for lost time. The market was there last week and will be there tomorrow.

Before the session, I'm reviewing what happened while I was away, mainly the levels. Last week's high and low, and where price closed on Friday. I'm marking them on the chart and writing a short note about the current structure.

After the first trade, win or lose, I'll reassess. If I feel rusty, I'll stop at one or two. If it feels normal, I'll go up to full size tomorrow. No rush. A smooth return is more valuable than a big first day.

The part I watch most on a first day back is my timing. After a break I tend to hesitate on entries and get in late, or the opposite, jump in before the candle closes because I am keen. Half size is there exactly for that. If my first trade feels clumsy, win or lose, that is my signal to stop and come back tomorrow rather than forcing a second one to prove something. The goal for today is just to feel normal again on the one setup I know best.

One thing I always do before the first day back is spend half an hour on replay or just scrolling through the last week on the chart, bar by bar, calling out what I would have done. It warms up the pattern recognition without any money involved. I also reread my own rules, which sounds silly, but after a week away I genuinely forget small things like the news filter times. The first day back is not the day to discover I forgot a rule. Better to refresh it on purpose before the open.