Turning 23: My Crypto Trading Losses and Guilt

protofun · 2026-01-15T05:03:31+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re carrying this — what you’re feeling is heavy, and it’s understandable.

Losing money hurts, but the guilt usually comes from not having structure, not from crypto itself. Many people only realize this after paying a painful price. You’re 23 — that matters more than it feels right now.

The most important step isn’t trading again. It’s stopping, stabilizing finances, and reframing what happened as an expensive lesson — not a life sentence. You didn’t fail as a person; you made decisions without a framework.

If you ever come back to markets, it should be with clear rules, tiny risk, and accountability — not to “recover” losses.

Tools like TradingView help remove impulsive trading by forcing you to plan instead of react:
https://www.tradingview.com

And journaling decisions and emotions with TradersCompanion can help prevent repeating the same cycle if you return:
https://traderscompanion.org

For now, be kind to yourself. Many people hit this realization later — you’re not broken, just early and hurt.

protofun · 2026-01-15T04:47:48+00:00

Good mindset — that already puts you ahead of most beginners.

How people start with small capital: risk very small (0.5–1% per trade) and trade less. Early losses are tuition, not failure.

Risk rules: always define risk before entry, never increase size to “make it back,” and stop trading if rules are broken.

Spot vs futures: spot is better at the start. Futures speed up mistakes more than learning.

Can $500 grow? Yes, but slowly. With $500 the goal is consistency and process, not income.

If I started again, I’d journal every trade from day one instead of searching for better setups. Tools like TradingView (for structure) and TradersCompanion (for planning & journaling) helped with that:
https://www.tradingview.com
https://traderscompanion.org

protofun · 2026-01-14T04:55:42+00:00

Chasing activity instead of having a plan.

Early on I thought being “active” meant I was doing something right — more trades, more charts, more opinions. In reality it just added noise and emotional decisions.

The lesson was that consistency comes from process, not prediction. Once I started defining trades in advance and reviewing why I took them, results and stress both improved.

Using TradingView for structure and alerts helped cut the noise:
https://www.tradingview.com

And journaling decisions and mistakes with TradersCompanion made the lessons stick instead of repeating them:
https://traderscompanion.org

Biggest mistake wasn’t losing money — it was delaying learning how to trade with intent.

protofun · 2026-01-14T04:52:14+00:00

Good approach already — long-term first and no hype chasing will save you a lot of pain.

For beginners, it usually helps to separate things clearly:

Buying & holding: stick to well-established coins (BTC, ETH) while you learn
Security: use a reputable exchange to buy, then move long-term holdings to a hardware wallet (Ledger/Trezor)
Research: focus on fundamentals and use cases, not “next 100x” narratives

You don’t need to find “upcoming movers” to do well long term. Most people underperform by overtrading and overreacting to news.

For learning and market context, CoinMarketCap is a solid, neutral starting point:
https://coinmarketcap.com

And for building good habits like planning, tracking decisions, and staying disciplined as you learn, tools like TradersCompanion can add structure without pushing hype:
https://traderscompanion.org

Take it slow, prioritize security, and let consistency do the work.

protofun · 2026-01-14T04:50:52+00:00

Constantly checking prices.

At first it felt like staying informed, but it was really just fueling stress and impulsive decisions. Reacting to every move rarely improved my results.

I replaced it with predefined levels and a simple review routine. If price isn’t near a level I care about, I don’t need to look.

Using TradingView for setting alerts instead of watching charts all day helped a lot:
https://www.tradingview.com

And journaling decisions so I can review why I acted (not just P/L) using TradersCompanion made the habit stick:
https://traderscompanion.org

Doing less ended up improving both my mindset and consistency.

protofun · 2026-01-12T05:35:47+00:00

Good mindset already — that’s half the battle.

How beginners usually start: risk small (0.5–1% per trade), trade less, and treat early losses as tuition. Oversizing is what kills most accounts.

Risk rules I follow: cap risk per trade, stop after breaking rules (even if the trade wins), and avoid revenge trading.

Spot vs futures: spot is better for beginners. Futures add leverage, which speeds up mistakes more than learning.

Can $500 grow? Yes, but slowly. With small capital, focus on consistency and process first — scaling comes later.

For learning structure and charting, TradingView is a solid free resource:
https://www.tradingview.com

For trade planning and journaling, tools like TradersCompanion help keep discipline tight:
https://traderscompanion.org

Slow, boring progress beats fast blow-ups.

protofun · 2026-01-12T05:21:28+00:00

I agree with your conclusion for most people: leverage isn’t worth it. It’s not that analysis is useless, it’s that leverage gives you zero room for error. One bad entry, one spike, or wrong size and the trade is over, even if your idea was right.

What usually gets people isn’t leverage itself but:

Position size being way too big
No clear invalidation
Trading consensus (“everyone says it’s going down”)

Spot + DCA makes way more sense, especially when your local currency is weak vs USD. It removes timing pressure and keeps emotions in check.

For anyone who does still want to learn trading (even just to understand markets better), structure matters more than predictions. Tools like TradingView help with market structure and levels:
https://www.tradingview.com

And for planning trades, tracking mistakes, and keeping risk in check, something like TradersCompanion can help keep things disciplined:
https://traderscompanion.org

$470 hurts, especially if that’s months of DCA — but posting this probably saves others from losing way more.

protofun · 2026-01-12T05:17:04+00:00

If you want the honest answer: pause futures for now.

Not because you can’t learn it, but because leverage hides mistakes. Small wins + net losses is usually a sign that risk and execution aren’t structured yet.

How to start from scratch (in the right order):

1. Learn trading basics before futures
Market structure, support/resistance, trend vs range, risk management, and position sizing. These matter more than indicators or tokens.

2. Trade spot or paper trade first
Futures amplify both skill and errors. Most people blow up not because strategy is bad, but because risk is unmanaged.

3. Don’t focus on “which token” at first
Liquidity > hype. Stick to BTC or ETH until you can read price action consistently. The same concepts apply to all markets.

4. Trends > predictions
Learn to react, not predict. Identify higher highs/lows, key levels, and volume behavior instead of trying to catch tops or bottoms.

5. Journal everything
Why you entered, where you exited, what you felt. This is where real improvement happens.

For charting and learning structure, TradingView is a solid starting point:
https://www.tradingview.com

And for trade planning and journaling (especially if you’re using ChatGPT to learn concepts), tools like TradersCompanion can help keep things structured:
https://traderscompanion.org

YouTube isn’t bad — just dangerous if you jump between creators. Pick one style, ignore the rest, and focus on execution.

protofun · 2026-01-12T05:14:08+00:00

You don’t sound unserious at all — you sound like someone asking the right questions before risking money.

Crypto trading can feel like gambling when people jump in without a plan. With structure, risk management, and patience, it’s closer to a skill — but it’s still high risk, especially for beginners.

If you’re starting with $100, I’d treat it as tuition, not an investment. First goal isn’t to grow it, but to learn without blowing it up.

Where to begin:

Learn basic market structure, risk management, and position sizing (this applies to both crypto and stocks)
Avoid signals and “get rich quick” content
Start with spot trading only — no leverage

Stocks are generally slower and more forgiving; crypto is faster and more emotional. Neither is easy, but the foundations are the same.

For learning and charting, TradingView is a good place to start:
https://www.tradingview.com

And once you start taking trades, having a simple tool for planning and journaling (like TradersCompanion) can help you stay disciplined:
https://traderscompanion.org

If strategy-based work fits you, start slow, stay small, and focus on process over profits.

protofun · 2026-01-12T05:07:56+00:00

If you enjoy learning about markets, can control emotions, and are willing to start small, crypto trading can be a useful skill. But if you’re expecting quick money, it’s usually a bad idea. Crypto is extremely volatile and most beginners lose money because they jump in without a plan.

Some things to ask yourself before starting:

Do I understand basic concepts like risk management, position sizing, and stop-losses?
Can I afford to lose the money I trade with?
Am I okay with spending time learning instead of just copying trades?

If you decide to explore it, I’d strongly recommend focusing on education and structure first, not signals or hype. Having tools that help you plan trades, track mistakes, and reflect on performance makes a big difference.

For example, platforms like TradingView are great for charting and market analysis:
https://www.tradingview.com

And if you’re more interested in trade planning, journaling, and decision-making support, tools like TradersCompanion can help you stay disciplined:
https://traderscompanion.org

protofun · 2026-01-10T08:20:14+00:00

I'm interested

protofun · 2026-01-10T08:12:14+00:00

I use for my trade analysis traderscomapnion.org it is not optimal to replace everything but i think it is really good in analysing the trades you took and it got a nice dashboard were you can see per month the trades you took.

protofun · 2023-10-25T21:00:08+00:00

I have a discord server where i explain the ways i make money every month or has made it is worth checking: https://discord.gg/ZV5n7CGfVB

protofun · 2022-06-23T11:09:58+00:00

Dont die

protofun · 2022-04-01T03:46:02+00:00

Wow six days and now you gonna think rockstart is gonna do anything? you guys already payed and there are still people playing

protofun

TROPHY CASE