This year marks the fifth year since I entered the crypto market for trading, and it is also my fifth year of trading. In my early years, I worked in technology and side businesses, desperately saving up a few million.
As a result, without understanding the situation, I dove headfirst into the crypto market. In 2021, over the course of a year, I lost a third of my previous savings, plunging straight into the lowest point of my life. I didn't engage in trading for a full two years.
I know that many people have gone through similar experiences. Maybe you haven't lost as much as I have, but that feeling of 'falling from the top of the mountain to the bottom' is something only those who have experienced it truly understand.
Today's article will discuss my most difficult days and share how I managed to get through it. It may be of some help to you who are currently experiencing a low point.
One, what does it feel like to lose 1 million in contracts?
To be honest, that feeling is not at all 'passionate'; instead, it is just emptiness and confusion, like a nightmare from which one cannot wake up. My account balance decreased day by day, watching liquidation happen repeatedly, and yet I could do nothing. That deep-seated sense of powerlessness is indescribable.
At my most despairing moments, I would suddenly fall into self-doubt: is everything over? Is the suffering from staying up late on projects in the past and the efforts now in trading all in vain? Every time I lost money, it felt like someone was stabbing my heart with a knife. After working hard for so long, I returned to square one overnight, feeling a thousand-pound weight on my chest, struggling to even breathe.
Two, people in a low period can't escape these reactions.
I'm sharing this not to seek sympathy, but to let you know: you are not alone in your struggles; many people have gone through similar phases. For example: feeling anxious and restless when losing money, then immediately feeling invincible when profitable; panicking and trembling at the sight of unrealized losses, while feeling greedy when seeing unrealized gains; clearly knowing when to cut losses and exit, yet still clinging to a lucky thought: what if it rebounds?
What's even more terrifying is the 'recouping mentality' at play. Always thinking about making a big comeback to cover losses, resulting in heavier positions, increasing risks, and ultimately losing even more. At this point, people start to blame the heavens and others, curse the market's unfairness, complain about the platform's issues, and even harshly criticize themselves, feeling like the whole world is against them.
Three, what really crushed me was actually myself.
I used to have a bad habit: blaming others whenever something went wrong. But after trading, this habit was shattered by the market. After reviewing over a year of trading records, I realized that many trades had clear plans from the start, but every time I made a profit, I thought, 'Let's hold on a little longer,' and every time I incurred a loss, I comforted myself with 'Just hold on a bit longer for a rebound.'
In simple terms, it’s not that the market doesn’t give opportunities; it’s that I was being led by my own emotions and greed. At that moment, I truly understood: the hardest thing to manage in trading is not the market, but myself. You can learn all the technical indicators, understand trend directions, and devise perfect strategies, but if you can’t control your emotions, you will still lose money every day. It was like a sudden awakening; I finally understood: to make stable profits, I first need to manage myself.
Four, four practical steps to climb out of the low point.
On the road to getting out of the low point, I did these few simple yet effective things:
Step one: decisively stop. I decided to pause trading, completely distance myself from the market, not look at charts or place orders, and give myself a 'cooling-off period.' Only by withdrawing from the whirlpool of emotions can one see the essence of the problem.
Step two: deep review + summary. I went back and reviewed each trade record, writing down the logic behind each trade, the profit and loss situation, and whether I strictly followed the plan. I calculated how much I could have earned if I had followed the rules. The more I looked, the more I found that every loss had a traceable reason.
Step three: exercise and learn to be alone. I do 30 minutes of rowing aerobic exercise at home every day, and during the rest of the time, I read, meditate, and write summaries. Trading is never an overnight matter; you must first learn to be with yourself and calmly face your weaknesses and desires.
Step four: rebuild confidence and regain rhythm. I started trading with small funds, gradually accumulating confidence. Keeping the positions small, I set very specific goals, such as 'perfectly executing a stop-loss' or '5% profit in 3 months.' With these 'small goals,' I slowly stabilized my mindset. This step is crucial; during a low point, don’t rush to flip the situation. Learn to climb slowly, be steady, and avoid being impulsive.
Five, after coming out of the low point, my mindset has completely changed.
In the past, I always thought about making tens of thousands of U in a day, but now it has transformed into 'following the rules for every trade and controlling the risk.' The essence of trading has never been about making quick money, but rather about long-term stable accumulation. Now I focus more on steady progress, slowly moving upwards through compound interest.
This transformation not only helped me make money, but more importantly, my mindset became stable, no longer as restless as before. I am not a trading master, but an ordinary trader who once lost all savings, fell down, and gradually climbed back up. It is precisely because of this 'ordinariness' that I hope my experiences can bring you some inspiration. The road of trading is long; falling is not scary. As long as you are willing to reflect and adjust, you can always start anew.
Remember: making money in the crypto world doesn't rely on mysticism; it's about mastering simple techniques and using rules as your foundation, so you can avoid pitfalls and enjoy profits in the short term. Follow for more simple and practical operational techniques, letting skills become your foundation for making money.
