At 3 a.m., cold coffee kept me company as I stared at the red numbers on the screen. $1800, my entire fortune at the time.

You may have experienced this moment: the market like a runaway horse, and your position teetering on the edge of a cliff. Today I want to share not a get-rich-quick story, but a genuine account of how an ordinary person regained their breath in an out-of-control market. First, a disclaimer: this is just a personal experience summary, not investment advice.

The first thing I did that day was to close the trading app and take out paper and pen. I forced myself to answer three questions:

How much loss would completely wipe me out? The answer is all of it.

Do I have other cash flows? Fortunately, I still had part-time income at the time.

Were the previous losses due to technical misjudgments, emotional outbursts, or lack of understanding? Honestly, all three.

Over the next three months, I implemented a strict self-rescue plan.

**First Step: Stop the Bleeding**

I divided the $1800 into three accounts:

40% invested in stable assets—staking USD stablecoins on a decentralized platform, which provides basic returns while maintaining liquidity.

30% in dollar-cost averaging—choosing two top-tier coins I thoroughly researched, investing a fixed amount weekly, completely ignoring short-term price fluctuations.

The remaining 30% as trading positions—but this is crucial, never more than 5% per single trade, and before each operation, I had to write down stop-loss and take-profit points.

**Rebuilding the Cognitive Framework**

I deleted all apps with noisy information sources, keeping only core data dashboards and fundamental news. Market commentary, KOL predictions, trading advice—all turned off. Because I realized these only amplified my emotional swings.

At the same time, I started recording trading logs—detailing each operation: why I entered, what the expected target was, and how I would handle a reverse movement. This habit helped me see my decision-making patterns clearly—when I was rational, and when I was driven by emotion.

After three months, $1800 became $2100. The number isn’t large, but my mindset was completely different. More importantly, I survived.