it took me 14 years to figure out how to take money and not give it AWAY... in forex markets. so you have a bit to go. i tried the things you tried and a bit more besides. i then decided to throw most of technical analysis out except for the simplest and most basic stuff..like is the market trending or ranging....... to make a longish story short i started making winning trades ......now on many days i make only winning trades........i do not trade many trades......in 18 hours i trade maybe 4-5 trades.. i trade 5 min. it is absurd to say that markets or forex markets are noisy.......time frames are noisy and all time frames have some noise..........the problem novices have is in distinguishing which signals are given by noise [which is essentially smaller time frames] and which otherwise......then there are signals given by all the larger time frames...which adds to the confusion...... so all this can confuse the hell out of you for decades..........so do not expect any fast fixes to your trading dilemma. money in the real world is NOT given away but EARNED. most traders are ridiculously over qualified and think of complicated theories -remember LCTM which was headed by two Noble laureate winners.
I started trading in mid-2014 since then and have come a long way that has left me with many experiences. After some time losing money in the markets it is normal for some traders to come to the conclusion that the market is an illusion. so I'll tell you something. you make money in the markets, the problem is the approach you have. If you are a trader operating a basic system with indicators and basic price action operating scalping then what you are going to do is lose all your money in trading. According to my experience it is best to start with swing trading strategies and then if you have a system that has a real advantage in day trading then develop an algorithm.
The forex market is really unlike any other activity, which is why it is very difficult to get used to it.
Is the Forex market an illusion? No. It is real. But trading forex is like scrapping the bottom of the barrel. How to adapt to it ? There are other better things to trade. So go look for it.
Trust Fund Babies are given scads of money each and every scheduled disbursement day for the huge effort they expended in the successful stratigizing and execution required for winning the genetic lottery. lol Migrants are given free money for the time being upon entry to the social welfare state structure of the United States, limited time offer, terms and conditions do apply. Luck does exist, PadMan. In Forex? Maybe, Maybe Not. Did you beat the crap out of 'Rona? How was she?