What you’re describing is one of the most common — and most painful — paths people take when they enter crypto too fast. In just a month and a half, you didn’t only lose 250,000, you lost peace of mind, routine, and emotional balance. That kind of loss hits deeper than the number on a screen, and it’s completely understandable that it shook you.
The core realization you shared is brutally true: people rarely earn money beyond their level of understanding. Crypto isn’t like traditional investing. The volatility is extreme, the moves are ruthless, and the market punishes hesitation and overconfidence more than almost any other place.
At the start, you weren’t even chasing a fortune. You thought you could make a little profit and at worst lose a manageable amount. But once you bought ETH at a high level and watched it fall for days, the emotional pressure began. Instead of stepping back, you tried to fix the loss by opening a contract position — not because you understood leverage, but because you wanted the market to “come back.” That’s where the trap normally closes.
Then October 11 happened, and it flipped everything. A black swan doesn’t care about hope, logic, or patience. It simply wipes out anyone who isn’t prepared for a violent move. By the time you sold both your spot and contracts near 3,900, the loss was already heavy — and the mental damage was even heavier. You tried again at 3,600, hoping for a rebound, but panic returned when price dropped further, pushing you into another forced exit. And the worst emotional punch came after that: watching the market recover right after you sold. That feeling can break anyone’s mindset, because it makes the loss feel personal — like the market waited for your exit.
Looking back, you already understand the real enemy wasn’t ETH. It was human nature: the desire to recover quickly, the refusal to accept early losses, and the belief that the next move must reverse in your favor. That emotional cycle turns small mistakes into deep damage. If you had entered slowly, with only a small portion of capital, and with real knowledge of what you were buying, the outcome would have been completely different.
Your conclusion is honest and strong: this wasn’t “bad luck.” It was stepping into a high-risk world without understanding its rules. That doesn’t make you foolish — it makes you human. Almost everyone who survives crypto long enough goes through a version of this lesson. The key is what you do after learning it.
This loss hurts, but it also gave you something valuable: clarity. Now you know the market’s nature, your own triggers, and why slow, disciplined investment beats emotional chasing every time. If you ever return, you’ll return wiser — and that changes everything.
