Staying steady

In hidden-information games you will lose strong pieces to things you could not see. That is not a mistake; it is the game. The useful question afterwards is whether the decision was sensible given what you knew, not whether it worked out.

Players who do well over many games tend to think in games rather than single moves: one bad surprise does not change the plan unless it changes what you know.

A short pause after a setback — a breath, a look at the whole board — is often worth more than a quick reply.