Bitcoin Forum

After this latest run I thought about taking profit to get my original stake back, which is about 25% of the current value.

But then I start thinking "No, that 25% could eventually be worth many times more in a few years...".

... but then I think "What if bitcoin crashes to zero, isn't it best to take my original stake out now?"

... and then I think "no, don't bother, if it does crash to zero, it won't happen in a flash, and you could still take your original stake out on the way down."

Sheesh! Apart from Bitcoin, I've always bought risky shares, and I've gambled on sports... but I've never suffered these sort of mind games as you do with Bitcoin, and I imagine the only similar thing is penny stocks.

Does anyone else play these scenarios out in their head?

All of us would really be having those kind of doubts in their minds where we dont know on where prices can possibly end up.If we do saw that we are already profiting
then we have those thoughts that we should really cash it out instead of getting those profits back into negatives when the price tend to revert or go to the opposite side.
If you do come into this market and have that only one goal is go HODL! then you wont really be bothered on these things.You would hold no matter what and what price
you had bought your coins.You do aim for more years to come and wait for that significant target that you've been or all of us waiting.

There is no possibility of Bitcoin crashing to zero. You just needs to be cautious and not be taken away with the present surge in price. Where possible, always take profit.

That's why being a holder is a mental game, you really need to be tough as nail because for sure those ideas are going to pop in your mind. So psychologically, it will be a battle inside of you. But you are going to overcome it eventually. You will just have to think of the long term scenario. Just think of how many early bag holders have regrets selling their bitcoin prematurely, specially seeing two bull runs. So there could be more bull runs to come. So look for the long haul.

I certainly drag you into doubts if you will keep asking yourself about "What If?" You can't live crypto with that but making you out, you can't make the right decision if you feel like that. I suggest to OP is to keep calm in every dump you see, avoid FOMO, and you should trust Bitcoin.

You can certainly hear bad news around, ignoring them is the best solution to make you straight of what you are aiming to happen. You can't expect a good result if you keep bothering your mind with doubts. Just think about the positive sides and tried to know the life of successful Bitcoiners.

Yes, definitely it's normal for us to think about different scenarios in our mind, specially if you are about to sleep, that's why there are people who says that crypto is dangerous to our health, Lol. Other's though just eat, sleep and trade.

But I would say it is normal though, every investments not just in crypto will give this kind of effect. It's really up to you, how you responds with this kind of mind tricks. If you are weak then and emotionally then definitely you might push the sell button the moment you see your profits going down. But your scenario though of bitcoin going to 0 is slim, so you have nothing to worry about.

Indeed! If you are that worried about something, let it go. Do not wait for that thing to consume you afterwards. 7 long years were surely tough.

 What you have experienced are also evident to other investment and even in gambling. That's simply taking the risk. But I want to know, have you earned your profit yet? That should be the highlight in order to be inspirational in the eyes of other investors especially in this industry.

It's been hell for 9 years.  It doesn't get any better.

Then, this one happens too...

Oh my, my dog has fallen ill.  I need $500 to pay the vet, and I just don't have it in my bank account right now.  Oh! I've got a Bitcoin and it's worth $500!  I'll sell the Bitcoin and pay the vet, then I'll buy back the Bitcoin over time instead of paying interest on a credit card.  Brilliant!

1 year later...

Bitcoin price has been going up faster than I can buy it back.  I've spent $1500 trying to buy back that 1 Bitcoin, and so far I've only managed to buy back 0.1 Bitcoin.  Bitcoin is currently worth $20,000 per bitcoin?! So my $1500 spent has grown by $500 to $2000 in value, but that means (compared to if I had just skipped the treatment and euthanized the dog) that dog cost me $19,000!?!?!

Comparison:

• Use bitcoin to pay vet, spend $1500 to buy back 0.1 bitcon, bitcoin value grows $500 to $2000 in bitcoin value. Result = 1 dog + $500 growth
• Euthanize dog, keep $500 bitcoin, bitcoin grows $19,500 to $20,000. Result = 0 dogs + $19,500 growth
• $19,500 - $500 = value of dog ($19,000)

That's one expensive dog!

Now everytime I spend ANYTHING, I have to stop and think...  Well, if I bought bitcoin with that money INSTEAD of whatever I'm about to spend it on, and Bitcoin increases 100X in the next few years, then I'll effectively have spent 100X as much for that thing I was about to spend money on (since I could have had that bitcoin growth instead of that thing).  Is that thing worth (a few years from now) 100X the amount I'm about to spend on it?

Buying a $5 cup of coffee?  You could have bought $5 worth of bitcoin that might grow to $500!  Is that coffee really worth $500?
Buying a used car for $1500?  You could have bought $1500 worth of bitcoin that might grow to $150,000! Is that broken down old car really worth $150,000?

Indeed. There was a story in the UK press about a guy who made some good money and the only time he had previously used bitcoin was 7 years ago to buy a microwave meal at the supermarket, which he now realizes cost him $300.

When your mind keeps playing games on you like this is when you worry constantly that the price will go down to "zero". That alone can make your heart race, especially if you buy Bitcoin when the price is way higher.

When you hear people say that bitcoin investment is not for the soft-hearted; they were not kidding. Just for your mental stability, have a long term goal for it and be ready to ignore all the noise when prices are dumping.

Very few people are currently thinking that bitcoin will crash.Because bitcoin is now at a very good level and has gained the trust of many.As a result, many people are now coming forward to invest in bitcoin.So, now my idea about bitcoin has also changed and I think the price of bitcoin may go up a bit but it will not crash and become zero.

I've been with the same mindset when I was still new and on 2018. Thinking that it can go to zero was due to those predictions and negative thoughts of the community. You'll absorb those if you keep reading negative insights about the market and so I did avoided them and whenever I knew it that they're explaining their negative thought about bitcoin's market, I'll skip it immediately. But needless to say, bitcoin is here to stay and it's probably just the beginning of another great run.

Just don't think of what ifs, easy to say, hard to do, yes, but just make a move, one that you have confidence in, and then don't regret it. It's rather hard to not regret when it comes to money though, especially if that regret came from a possibility of making it big. But hey, nothing we can do about that, heck it only breeds more negative thinking which would probably damage you and your financial life if continued to do so. Heck, we probably experience this in Bitcoin since it can make you profit from 0 to 100 real quick, maybe even more. But it is mostly just pure speculation, not to mention that most of them happen only a few years after, and not in the short term.

That's absolutely imposible if others would think about bitcoin become undervalued, because this time it became the core of all cryptocurrencies. Becoming smart enough to handle your asset at times of fluctuations is the most certain actions to do,  and once there's an opportunity to earn once it gained enough profit don't be hesitant to decide. Price would always change while market volatility occurs, particular during corrections.

Well, the funny thing is I can afford to lose the money anyway and therefore my goal was and always will be to hold for long term speculation.

However, unlike any other investment, with Bitcoin there is some sort of voice in the back of my head saying "I told you so" if I lose money on it.

It's almost like there's a part of me that doesn't take it seriously and therefore doesn't want to be made a fool of by it - even though I've been a made a fool of by things like shares, oil and gold before.

Does anyone else know this feeling  :P

I am thinking the same way as yours, that is what a beginner would think, everyone is afraid of losing of money o they always think whether it is time to pull out the money or not but with the advice that I have heard from many experts I can say that investment and hodling would be the best thing to for now.

The only way for the price to go to zero is for the Internet to go down indefinitely which means that as long as there is no war or global scale catastrophe, bitcoin prices will be swinging up and down the market. I do agree, being cautious is a good thing but you also need to trust bitcoin because this is not the first time that a surge in bitcoin has happened, how many times does bitcoin need to prove itself, try to cash in some of your hodl and continue hodling, a half and half will be a good thing.

Always had those thoughts in my first year with bitcoin. And almost like 90% of the time? Selling ended up being a really BAD decision because I could've had more money if only I waited longer. Hence why today, I sell bitcoin ONLY when really really necessary; pretty much only when I'm in dire need of money.

Just in this part you prove that it was not the Bitcoin who controls your Mind but you know what ? "IT IS YOUR GREEDINESS" so please dont Blame Bitcoin on this.
You think too much please stop drinking Coffee or other drinks and food that has coffee substance ?
You are a Risk taker type of investor and nothings wrong about that , Just do your expertise and never go with FUD and Panic buying or selling because this will end your career in crypto.

Regular investors and traders are already used to it. Taking out your stake is what you should do and leave the rest to be used for holding and trading purposes. You will have a free open mind to do other things without any thought of Capital loss.

Investors loose their money due to their greed. Sometimes its just better to take profit, at least partially

I think nothing is wrong with that mindset though, profit is profit, so that 25% might be good for you.


I don't the price will literally go to zero, maybe the worst we can see is like a 60%-70% crash just like what we have seen during the covid-19 effect in March of last year.


I think most traders have played this scenario in their head many times, specially when we hit $41k and we still think it can go up a bit before taking profits. But since it didn't happen then we should just hold a bit and just sell and take profits later. No need to overthink, it will eventually come (new all time high).

You could not have said it better... and some of these decisions will haunt you for years.

I bought my first bitcoins when the price was just over $300 and then the price went up to $1000 and I thought it will never go higher than that, so I sold all of them. ( If I kept those bitcoins and I sold them when the price was $40 000 .... I would have been a very rich person now.. but I will have to live with that decision.)

The thing is, after I realized what the potential of Bitcoin was.. I put in a lot of time and money and I bought back a lot of coins and I sold some more at $40 000 and it gave me a huge boost.

My thinking... keep on buying and selling and neutralize the risk of not selling and everything going to ZERO and stay in the game by buying back after you sold... so that you can cash in on the next all-time-high.  ;)

Bitcoin is really playful in the market and it is really unpredictable so it is your own decision and prediction on what action you are going to do next. Just like most of the long term investor, they always suggest to HODL which is the right and safest thing to do in a bitcoin investment. Volatility is what makes people crazy about bitcoin, they are not that knowledgeable on how to deal with that and that's the reason why people are scared to invest on it. I hold my coins confidently and observing the market so that I'm prepared on when to sell because I'm a man who wants to always deal with risks.

I observe the situation and understand that the crypto market is not just volatile, it is completely unstable. The situation can change dramatically in a few hours, it costs a group of people to make a pump on a particularly remarkable coin for a joke. Or Bitcoin gives a leap because of what a famous person said about it. ::)

Its not just bitcoin you'll feel the same thing with every other sort of investement, im guessing this was your first time ?

sometimes we ourselves are scenarios in our heads if this and that happens. you should indeed reduce it, the more we think about it, the impact will increase anxiety in us. Calmness is key.

You’re a real hodler man!

Its everyone’s call on when they take some profits. Its not bad if you want to secure your returns if you already made a decent profit. Its true that bitcoin could crash anytime soon but going to zero would be slim chance, people around the globe and institutional investors are buying it realising its potential.

I see the problem here.  You have this kind of dilemma probably because you never set a target price to sell.  Or if ever you did, you are half-hearted about it.  I believe all of us had this kind of scenario in our mind but luckily, I always set the price target to avoid this kind of confusion.  If the market price hits my target then I won't hesitate to sell and never regret it if it goes up multiple times after I sold.

Yes, bitcoin has many tricks. But now there is no chance of bitcoin coming to zero in the future, so there is no need to worry about it.

This is always a question for a lot of people when the price of bitcoin is falling down or having a resistance. Personally, I can't imagine bitcoin reaching or crashing the market price of zero it is almost impossible to happen in the market. With the current ATH 40k$, even a drop to 20k$ would be a great opportunity for a lot of investors and rich people to reinvest in bitcoin to earn a profit when the price pump again with so many investors there is no way the market price will drop to 0 at all a would even buy bitcoin at 30k$ for a small profit imagine when the price drop again to 3k$.

if you want to HODL then you have to endure the temptation to sell because of the value from 40k USD, even the determined person will be tempted to sell their holdings, but if you really want to hold and you have a target price before you sell then, you have to ignore and never look at the price, most people sold what they have since they need money, many things will run to your mind if you keep looking on the price, and disappointment sometimes.

You cant really just deny nor ignore on not to look at the price.You wont really be knowing on what it would be if you dont look at but if you are a hodler
and do plan only to make cashout or sell in few years to come then it would be good on not to check out the market at all.

Its true that this one would really be that tempting for you to do so.If you arent really that good on handling out yourself when it comes to emotions
then you do most likely ending up on mistakes but it doesnt matter as long you do make profits then that whats important.

If you can handle to play with the market then thats really an advantage.

Totally get you. As a crpyto investor you always think about what your future growth will be and whether you will be better off selling and then rebuying when it goes down. Unfortunately, this is the game you have to play when risking.

I think the point is precisely that risky stocks and sports games are short-term investments. Literally 2-3 days and you already know the result and understand that you have gained profit or lost investments. With such a long-term investment in bitcoin or other alt's, there are always some thoughts that have never visited you before. I also had it with a lot of cryptocurrencies. I no longer take them into account and just keep the coins. If they rise in price then I am rich, and if not, then it does not matter.

I don't know if it's just me or maybe every person who is a beginner can be tricked or rather can lose to bitcoin when they first got their hands on them. Bitcoin is a gamble as every stock is there is a win and lose situation. 
 
you really just need to learn from that so-called mind trick, when you learn and gain there you will see what you did wrong and right to earn. From the topic, you post you should really know and set things up let's say if that 25% gain of your you should know when you will sell, I know it's hard to think that the BTC price might go up and up. 

If Bitcoin price goes up and up will you wait and see? when happens? the effort you made or rather the long term hold will be all at waste if you don't want to sell it. I would suggest that 25% gained more than 25% so an equal of 50% price gain stops if your time is up. BItcoin is tricky I anything can happen to its value why? There are people who have a big amount of money in their hands those people like Elon Musk if he sells it and buys the bitcoin's worth will make a big big change.


As others might have suggested you should set a goal and stop playing think smart play smart.



Also, Short term investment is really hard you really need to focus as well as if it trading 24hrs on guard is a must. 

I think it is not only the beginner but also the old timer that haven't set their mind yet on what really is their target selling price for Bitcoin coupled with greediness.


I definitely agree and this is a piece of very good advice to avoid such mind boggling situation.




Not unless he has set his selling price and has a very good bot programmed to monitor the daily trading of his investment.  This one goes with what you stated..

For some people, its inevitable to stay calm when there's  a simple price dumb. Some people unknowingly slump into anxiety even when they don't want to cause of the price.
The constant speculation of prices can also make one panic especially when  they are not used to it.

Yeah your right because since I know what is bitcoin and cryptocurrency the Price never be stable or constant like period of two weeks, ii understand that the regulations of its price is been determine by the marketcap, which I can say that if the total numbers of demands is higher or greater  than the aggregates of  supply it's make's the price of bitcoin increase or depreciate.

I'm sure almost everyone has doubts on their mind when investing in Bitcoin, that's because indeed we all don't want to experience losses when
investing in Bitcoin. Moreover, the price of Bitcoin is very volatile and very difficult to predict, so there must be a fear of the Bitcoin price falling.
But since the price of Bitcoin has increased dramatically this year, and also the many institutions that invest in Bitcoin make me more optimistic
about investing in Bitcoin. So now I have no doubts about holding Bitcoin in the long run.

Greed is always present in our human nature so it's normal to think like this. We don't know what will happen in the future so we should secure what is certain at the present. What I do when I sold too early is I just think that what if it goes the other way around, how long will I hodl until I can recover that loss. We should always remember to grab the opportunity to take profit. Big or small, profit is always a profit.

I think doubts are consistently present in individuals' brains yet eventually, it is still you who can choose if you need your doubts to win or you need to procure a benefit and not doubting in bitcoin regardless of what occurs later on. Also, the price of Bitcoin is unstable and hard to anticipate, so there should be a dread of the Bitcoin price falling.

It can definitely play with you mind. Like when you feel sad when I explodes because you don't have enough, and when you also feel sad seeing it crash because what you have diminishes :)

This is because these people invest not only their extra money but rather their whole life savings. Others even sell their assets to make their investment even bigger.  If they only invest their extra money, they would not mind if the price crash or not since it won't affect them that much negatively.


This is the pure example of greediness, they just can't get enough nor get satisfied with what they have gained.  At the end of the day, it isn't Bitcoin that is playing tricks in our minds.  It is our own desire and greed that triggers all these dilemmas and conflicts.

True. You can feel that way about any asset. The solution is to get busy and have some dopamine that's dependent not on market moves but your own work.

Of course such thoughts will cross or even always exist because that means we are among the people who are always considering what will happen, I don't think it will be bad for our investment because if there is no such consideration or thought how can we take profit. The next thing that will be done depends on the experience and knowledge we have, because selling it immediately or even keeping it for longer I'm sure it will still be profitable, right.

When it comes to penny stocks you are aware of the risk and if there is a pump you make a profit and majority of the time your investment might not pump and you end up in a loss but in the case of bitcoin it is not just manipulation like the penny stock market, the reason why the price of bitcoin started rising is because majority of the investment comes from institutional fund houses and with a limited supply you should to aware that the price would rally.

No, because it is very unlikely that Bitcoin will crash to zero, or even crash significantly so that it isn't worth much anymore. The only scenario would be if there would be a glaring security flaw in the Bitcoin protocol. And after Bitcoin has been around for over 12 years now, this flaw would have been found long ago if it would exist.

It happens to everyone, but I have been able to get over this with the kind of love I have for the Bitcoin Technology; I like waking up everyday and looking at the digits in my wallets, though sometimes when it’s going low I might not feel much happy, but I still take the blow and continue and never worry about.

But I don’t see anything wrong with you taking your original investment and leaving the rest. If you want you can still continue with the whole money stored in your wallet. There are times I take my original money that I invested and also collect fifty percent of my profit lol ;D just do whatever you think is right for you to do, and moreover I believe there are other things you can do with money.

If you are weak then and emotionally then definitely you might push the sell button the moment you see your profits going down. But your scenario though of bitcoin going to 0 is slim, so you have nothing to worry about.
When you hear people say that bitcoin investment is not for the soft-hearted; they were not kidding. Just for your mental stability, have a long term goal for it and be ready to ignore all the noise when prices are dumping.

That "what if" question makes our minds doubtful. Some people use to do that when making decisions but sometimes it brought us to the wrong one, yeah, I did some, and might everyone in here.

Having in this market no one is right or wrong. Some say you are wrong because you sell your Bitcoin at $20k while it takes a huge pump after it. But "what if" the market dumps after he sold his Bitcoin, they are absolutely right with his decision.

You are taking back your capital, that is your decision. As did it before and it is fine after all. There is still some funds left and we can still make money from it while securing our capital.

That's why you have to be mentally prepared when it comes to owning BTC. The thought of "too good to be true" will always kick in given the surges in price.

For sanity's sake, I somehow refuse to engage with people say BTC will crash. Most likely they wouldn't have any proof to support an argument either.

That's why we have to be confident in ourselves. It will help us it will not be easy to panic if someone says "buy this coin" when they do it for themselves, when we come in we will cry. Never once easily believe with anyone other than ourselves, because when we lose from our analysis there we can buy it even cheaper.

It will be right. Considering that the price of bitcoin has risen almost three times higher than its previous price record, it would be logical to sell some of the bitcoins to cover your previous expenses and have the capital to buy bitcoin in case of a sharp price drop. After that, we will no longer suffer direct material losses in any negative turn of events, and we can only talk about lost profits.

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Of course lots of thoughts like that appear in lots of holders' heads from time to time. And it is normal because it is your assets and your opportunities. It would be more strange in case you would not have thoughts of such kind. The other thing is to think twice before making any decision and take your finger on the pulse in order to have the chance to react at once you will see changes that you are expecting for. But in my opinion Bitcoin will not be a zero in price. And even on the decrease you will have such chance and period of time  to react.

Secure everything while you still can and i do really agree on this one where you should really be selling out if you do seem fit to do so.Price movements could really
trick you up and can really affect your decision making skills but if you do have set a specific fixed goal then you would really be having those kind of sell outs
no matter what would be the market condition would be.It all matters with experience since this one will really be important, once you are aware on how things
do works or moves on this market then you can really make out some proper plans and possible actions to make.

I have played a lot of scenarios in my head that’s why I decided to take out the value I invested in fiat money conversion to make me feel contented or at least keep my head sane so I wouldn’t think of a lot of “what if’s” in my head. It’s also a matter of self discipline and decide on what to do with your cryptocurrencies since you’re the one controlling it, whether you feel like hodling it or take out the amount you have invested in them. And also keep your investment safe, that’s the most basic and important thing to do too with your cryptocurrencies.

There are plenty of things that could happen and plenty of what if's for everyone.
I had been there I have so many what if's but we should face what we done and take responsibility of it.
Don't live in regret and make the best out of it there would always be what if's but we should just continue to move forward to whatever choice we pick.

Bitcoin isn't playing tricks on your mind, it is you that is playing those tricks on your own mind. That is what you call anxiety or paranoia at worst, the only way to solve that is to take a deep breath and not think about anything related to what you are doing, try not to make up scenarios in your mind about this kind of thing. In my opinion, in this kind of situation you are your own worst enemy. Bitcoin is not a sentient object or such, you are which means that those thoughts are just you blaming bitcoin, and you wouldn't really be anxious about it when you know more about bitcoin and you trust that it will grow in long term.

This only happens when you put all your money into BTC just like what I have seen in some social media where a man sold his house to buy bitcoin. This is not a good idea since its volatility can be brutal sometimes when your money has been put all into one basket no matter how you think of it. That's why they kept telling those people who have been asking how to invest in bitcoin, that the first thing they need to consider investing only what they can afford to lose. Because in that way, they think about it less than they think when they put all their money at once.

Bitcoin is volatile but also know that bitcoin's price is always upward as it has only limited supply.

Its price will surely goes up when its demand increases so always expect that bitcoin's price will have an upward movement even if its price is fluctuating in the market.

But still always be careful on when to make transaction because timing and patience is always essential in a bitcoin investment especially trading, always secure your profit.

You got a point but there are other people that doesn't really risk anything but can't stop thinking like this, I know some people and from my experience the common denominator is that most of those that are anxious are newbies or greedy. It can't be brutal if you know your risk tolerance and weigh the risks that are going to be involved and the opportunity cost, that dude who sold his house is a stupid one because he didn't weigh the risks and the opportunity costs.

I think most of the investors are dealing with this on their mind. Especially if you are a short-term investor, it really bothers people very much. Because you need to follow the changes in the price very regularly to make a better decision. But for the long-term investors, the situation is not that much I think. They start being like this especially when the price movements seem interesting.

Long-term investors never look and check their investments daily. Let say, their target is to hold for 5 years, they just only check on it as the time comes near to their goal. They don't get bothered if the market price goes down during that 5 years holding because, in the first place, they never know it.

The reason why people are got into FOMO, easily get panic is that they never get tired of checking the price every day. If that only they don't do it, I'm sure we never heard about panic selling and complaining why they lose.

It's sure and certain that people who hodl are actually the ones making the money and if you must hodl you will need to hold for a long term and try to look away a bit because always checking on the asset won't help it but always make u think nothing is happening or most time you might even get tired of holding or maybe  panic and sell when you see a dump on the market, hodlers doesn't check on the asset there hold so often and there are never a panic sellers, it only in futures trade that much concerned and time is needed because if risk management isn't applied a slight movement in the opposite direction might liquidate an account. So if you want to hodl bitcoin you must not be a panic sellers and holding for long term would really beneficial.

when the markets fall dont Panic sell. Hold on to your BTC and sit still. Next month it will be higher than ever.

That's not exactly Bitcoin that is playing tricks on you, but they're just market makers that are playing with the price and they often do that in a way that is the least predictable for retailers to see the next move which means they could end up with more profit at the end.

That's why 90-95% of traders lose in long-term, and that's exactly why you should not try to be a trader if you studied it and tested it out for 1-2 years and it didn't work which means you're not one of the 5% or less that are somehow better in trading, investment is the better option for most people and all you need to do is find some good assets that you are optimistic about and buy them at a decent price(preferably dollar cost averaging it if it went down more) and be willing to hold it for a few years if you have to.

I think it not just bitcoin but it will happen in almost every investment especially on crypto or stocks maybe.

Thats why the experience and TA is very important to minimize the risk to be loss.

too much overthinking, I guess your zodiac is pisces  ;D
actually, it's good too because you saw it from some perspectives.
I had that in my mind too, but it happened only when my portfolio does not balance (I mean proportional, based on my preferences).
my comfort zone is when I have enough amount of fiat so I can buy the dip and bounce back instantly.
In this situation, my mind will also think, that at least I already have that amount of money.

Just as a follow up to my OP.

I did end up taking profit a couple of weeks ago to get my investment back and spent it accordingly:

-50% on stocks (trackers that hold value stocks - because of reflation and the move away from tech growth etc.)
-25% on more bitcoin during the dip this week
-13% on Ethereum (gambling on Proof of Stake and environment impact in the media)
-12% on DeFi altcoins such as Filecoin, which I'm now starting to understand a bit more.

I've also a got a little ready to buy government bonds... as now might be the time.

Yes, of course. That is a common behavior for investors who aren't in a confortable financial situation, so they try to act most perfectly as possible to maximize earnings and decrease loss chances. I just think we shouldn't play too much with our head, because we are in an unpredictable market, so all these thoughts are a waste of time and energy in end.

Try to set goals at the beginning of the investment, and don't change your plans once you achieve them.

To me these scenarios aren't for people who really believe in Bitcoin being a huge thing. I think you're contemplating because you don't really trust Bitcoin's movement. The only similar scenario that plays in my head is the one where you're thinking of how long it could take to get up if it fell. But you sound like you don't even trust it's coming up. However, it's absolutely okay to be cautious of your investment. And its okay to feel insecure depend on how you got the funds, but sometimes, it doesn't really end very well (like when you sell while avoiding the dump and then, the price starts going back up). Above all, follow your mind... If it tells you to pull out, do that, and never blame yourself for any loss... It's normal with life.

At my first stages of being into Bitcoin learning and understanding how it is working, I have also been into that state wherein I find it really frustrating to decide whether I will take hold or better grab the opportunity to just claim my reward for the work that I have done with Bitcoin to secure that whenever it crashes, my profit is safe with me. But upon understanding Bitcoin and have already got through many ups and downs, I have manage to not to make things complicated on how things will be because I trust Bitcoin and such tricks playing into one's mind will be mostly upon the newbies or those who are just starting their journey with Bitcoin.

Personally, I never think about Bitcoin crashing to Zero. If it is going to happen, it really needs a very huge number of reasons why it should be.
However so far, in relation to what is in our mind, I think that it is really your playing mind at all. Sometimes, we are watching and feeling good enough because of some news. And what makes our thought seems not to be calm is because so we don't trust Bitcoin so much and we still have the doubt of it. Personally, I trust Bitcoin at all and we must be also the best investment so far that I am entering.

I think almost everyone will have that kind of stuff in their head if they are just simply putting money in bitcoin without making a simple analysis on how they think the market would move. Bitcoin doesn't play tricks in your mind, it is just you who is not much pretty sure of your investment. One thing you should follow when investing is to always know when to exit and enter, analyze the market just like trading, there's a lot of market tools that can help you, and by that you can avoid big losses.

Also, bitcoin at the same time is assumed to have price increase as time pass. So you don't need to worry much if you're planning a long term investment.

As a currency long-term holders, don't think the currency will fall to zero in this matter, even if it is not possible, at that time the movements are normal, everyone may have experienced a boom collapsed the mood of the roller coaster, but anyway, the currency can really make the person, you just need to believe this.

I agree, to think that bitcoin is playing tricks on our minds will require that bitcoin moves depending on our movements, but things do not work like that, the market does not care about us and whether we are invested in it or not, we are the ones that play tricks with our own minds as we are anxious about whether or not we took the right decision when we invested in bitcoin, and the only way to avoid this is to be completely convinced about the potential bitcoin has to change the way the world economy works, once you internalize this you do not get anxiety over being invested in bitcoin anymore.

Why some people always have this believe that btc will crash to 'zero'    has btc given us the reason to think this way because I have been hearing this not just recently and it doesn't make sense for anyone to think this will happen in the future (even though no one can tell what the future holds)
Btc is a store of value and form of money which is the reason why many people are drawn to it, use it in place of fiat to stay anonymous and so on, if btc is seen as an alternative to fiat how then can it go to zero!

There is no need to worry too much if you are thinking long term between you can always remove your initial investment and let the rest ride on.

I also feel that sometimes whether I take 10-20% profit from buying and selling Bitcoin is enough or I want to hold it, I always worry about it but I end up taking profits little by little rather than my assets being lost

At each price level there is a risk of loss that will not exceed 100%, and the potential for profit is unlimited. The higher the price level is reached, the higher the volatility level. You will run the same risk no matter where you start or have already been, and such thoughts will always be there.

Bitcoin is indeed tricky, its value has been changing a lot lately and most of the investors are having a hard time upon deciding what to do. If they would buy or sell at this moment, it's very confusing cause maybe on the next month, bitcoin's value will rise high again or go down low. Regardless of the confusion and gamble you will be taking, the best way to know what to do is through monitoring the price movement of bitcoin each and everyday. Through this, you will know or you will notice where will the bitcoin's price go on the next few days and it will surely benefit your investment later on.

I'll give you that about Bitcoin being really tricky. I'm sure that everyone thinks about similar scenarios on their mind. In the end, Bitcoin is a very volatile crypto like others so it is totally normal to think like that. But I think still that HODLing is the best thing to do in the end. Even if Bitcoin price goes down sharply, you don't need to worry about it as you are HODLing. Let's say it seems like it will go down to zero, then you could still prevent yourself from losing all your money.

That's a great strategy which is obviously good for both of our portfolio and mental heath. If anyone's doing day trading, than it's best to profit out initial captial within 10% profit and wait rest of the amount until hitting the desired target for more profits. But bitcoin is the best one for long term purpose as it's never disappointed any investors whenever they took entry on it. BTW, bull and bear market would always happen side by side.  ;)

It happens, first thing a trader or investor should have in mind is a plan on how and when to remove your capital, profits. This will guide you on any mind tricks.

And very normal.

Right, you have your plan when to buy or sell and whenever you're going to sell you won't do the same thing as overthinking. You just have to play with your mind and accept whatever you'll decide to go for.

Having the short and long term startegy is the best where for long term you continue holding it. For short term you keep booking your profits so that you will have money each month to meet your expenses or want to reinvest in the same or other coins can do that as well. It’s all about how much money you have and how much risk and holding period you are ready to take it.

@OP
if you think that bitcoin can collapse to zero (slowly or fast) it's better you sold immediately your coin since probably you have not understand what's "is going on".
If you look this investment with "classic" perspective you will be focused on % gains and yes it's always better close a position.
If you look this investment as "something new" this is an "entire" revolution that could seriously change the world, and why not, create a new "elite" made just of "bitcoiners".

bitcoin is toying with your mind, not only bitcoin whatever you control will definitely play with your mind, especially if we hold bitcoin, there are definitely many risks that we will face, this is where we have to prepare our mentality. , so that we are always strong in facing negative posts about bitcoin, such as Elon Musk's post, if you want to be successful in bitcoin, don't believe what people say, don't let other people mess with your mind.

Take the 25% and get your original stake back,
that way you can let the rest ride til infinity and never feel like you messed up.

Good Investors always take some gains off the table after a big win,
Gamblers leave it all in, until they lose it all.

So decide which one you are and act according.  :)

The possibility is not sure, Bitcoin going back zero will even cause elimination of cryptocurrency to the societies because peoples outside the world will never believe in crypto again when such happen, so we need to monitor cryptocurrency market sphere before we transact but having it mind that btc will go to zero is impossible.

There's no way it will happen, bitcoin could drop but not to be worthless. It's not actually bitcoin that is playing with us or doing the trick, it's the whales who manipulate the market and we can also blame those newbies who just easily ride with the FOMO and get panic easily when there's a FUD.

It's unlikely that bitcoin will go to zero. Those FUD keeps on telling that to confuse the minds of the people especially the newbies. And if you're a gullible person, you'll really believe on that FUD.
You're going to sell as much as you can and you'll forget that bitcoin is getting stronger in all of aspects and its foundations cannot easily be broken.

many user have same situation like that.
for me, i will sell when it price os good enough, than buy again when the price stack low too long. simple act is how to make profit from high and low price.
my mind is always say that bitcoin price will grow pass the higher before. never regret when you have it, although take in high price, because in a future will pass, more and more surprising

self control, can be implemented well if we understand the cryptocurrency ecosystem. price fluctuations can be used to take advantage, the key is to analyze the right timing for entry and set a safe limit for exit. Greed will mess up analysis, as will panic. then you should learn to the maximum regarding fundamental and technical analysis so that it is not easily influenced by fud.

There are a few scenarios where Bitcoin could go to zero but these scenarios usually have nothing to do with the freaks on this forum who found some alt coin that now will take over the world according to their opinion.

One scenario is when the algorithm gets cracked although I think that we would never find out. Rather those who cracked the algorithm will put their knowledge to use otherwise I could imagine.

Another scenario could be that it turns out this is a massive surveillance project with overseen backdoors, which is unlikely as this is open source and somebody should have seen it.

Or it might turn out one day that the North Korean dictator owns 80% of the Bitcoin supply. But even then I guess it wouldn't go to zero as most people would still hope for pumps.

The most likely scenario is that Bitcoin won't go to zero! ;) :)

Yeah, it all came down to the conclusion that bitcoin won't go to zero. And the first that you've mentioned, it is all about the quantum computers.
But when we're going to see that? time might come but will it really make bitcoin to zero as it decodes or crack it?

I know crypto assets are riskier than many other investments.  There are no guarantees other than volatility.
Crypto assets are not regulated in most cases.  There is no insurance for these items.
The price of crypto assets swings wildly by the minute, has suffered a painful and protracted correction and is almost certain to happen again.
Bitcoin, the first crypto asset that has been around for over a decade and is much less likely to disappear than most other coins, is also not risk free.
To avoid your mental health it is best not to risk all of your life savings on any crypto-coin assets.

With every investment comes risks. Questions like what if I loose all my capital what if I don't I don't earn as I should. Bitcoin isn't exempted. Especially with the unstable market of bitcoin when it rises or falls.

 Over the years I have learnt to see Bitcoin as a system that is self sufficient meaning it has a way of replenishing via a means called mining this makes it difficult for market to actually run out of the coin.  hence I  trust it to always come back up even when the value falls. This has influenced my decision to invest or not many times.

You'd only be wasting time if you try to consider all the "what if"  that crosses your mind. You are not an investor until you actually invest.

As far as I know, and everyone feel free to correct me here, even quantum computing could be defended by either changes to the algorithm or by incorporating it into Bitcoin's algorithm itself. I am not quite sure as it is a good while ago but I read an article which was very interesting on why quantum computing is not the end of Bitcoin.

I know you could go back and forth as there are those who say it is the end vs. those who say it is not. I don't know enough about quantum computing at the core level to come up with my own assessment. I am rather relying on opinions and explanations here by people who I think could be trustworthy in regards to that domain. Hard to tell but quantum computing being applied to Bitcoin's network is quite a few years down the road. We should be good for now.

A strong mentality is the main capital to become a btc businessman.  If you are not strong then you cannot produce clear ideas.  The long-term scenario for you is a must to consider, and how many of them regret selling btc in 2009. If they sold it now then most likely wealth was on their side.

Yes, sometimes we are often confused with this one investment, because prices are uncertain and can change at any time. This is a trick in people's thinking games, especially for novice investors.so we need to be careful in an investment in the form of cryptp or digital currency. and it is proven by its price which began to decline so sharply in the last few weeks. it depends on each of us

Our lack of knowledge and experience will play tricks on our mind, bitcoin is bitcoin, it will not move if people will not move it, therefore it's necessary for us to know how and why it's moving, if we are good at predicting its movement, then everything will be easy for us.

You see, there are people who lose money, and there are people who make money, that's because some are smart and some are not.

It is very unfortunate that it goes like that but that gonna be the real-life in crypto, some will lose while some just win. Maybe, we are in profit today and might possible that we are losing in the following day and that is because of the market volatility. If we just know what will happen next, I felt that the market seems too boring and not challenging, and that will never exist for sure.

If it is said that the possibility of BTC going to 0, it is very unlikely because currently BTC is quite popular coin and is the dominant coin on all transactions. This is a psychological game and those with a strong mentality will win. If you feel too stressed, close your account and temporarily put aside a good night's sleep without thinking and then tomorrow everything will be fine again.  ;)

This is only because with bitcoin and penny stocks there's a possibility of high return in a comparatively short amount of time than other assets.
This makes us greedy for wanting more and make us HODL on to our assets in the hope of a high return.
To be honest 25% is still a very good amount to breakeven. This is why we should have strategy and execute it accordingly.
I hope you would have took out some profits while the price was high. Taking profits at the right is a skill which not many can successfully achieve.

Depending on what we think BTC is, some expect too much in just a small period of time that leads to others some stress or worst having problems due to expecting too much.know that when we expect we must know the situation or how to handle the volatility of the market since no matter how hard we think, no matter how we wanted it we can't dictate what will happen so diversify also in other investments so we have backup if the market still not going fine.

how come you cant decide properly in btc  when it was less risky than your other investments .
 you sure you dont put much money in btc more than your other investments ? but your thoughts are right  btc cant go down to zero . you can chose to not pull out your initial capital because the more money  you hold in btc the more return you could get .
you can take it out the next time you sold at a much higher rate .

this is a common thing and often happens in an investment, especially with regard to buying and selling. this is a common thing especially with regard to a business, if we dare to bet on every price we will always benefit with every ups and downs a stock price that is so significant.So in this case.courage is the main step to start a business, because mind games will always exist anywhere and in any form

If you are a weak person and doubtful of what you are doing, you will end up losing.

That might be a common thing to happen and that is why we never let this thing happen to us. If we wanted to help and improve our life, therefore, we also need to change the way we think about the future.

Perhaps, it is not Bitcoin playing tricks on our minds, it is our mindset does.

Mindset/Goals
Emotions
Other external factors like news and events

These are the common factors or things that would really be affecting your decisions in life specially when you do make out some investment.

Its true that Bitcoin isnt playing tricks on our mind. It is just naturally being unpredictable since from the start and this is why you should really be
aware on how this market works and the risk you would really be needing for you to take advantage.

From the first time I bought bitcoin I felt very special. Maybe it was due to the fact that I was getting started in the crypto space and felt like many of you, the magic of digital money. Then came the learning that comes with being a bitcoiner and the patience to stay hodl.
As in my mind it is already programmed to see the future of bitcoin, I am not worried about its falls. My feeling is positive when I see how strong bitcoin can be from looking at it to zero, I don't think it's possible.

I really appreciate people think that way. We are here to support crypto as a form of digital currency. If we just keep our mind thinking negatively, that mainly influences us to act the same and leads to worries when dumps have come. Understanding the nature of Bitcoin, it gonna helps us to change our mindset because that all lies in the way how we think about Bitcoin.

Honestly, we can easily manipulate bad things when we have a negative mindset and many people had fallen into that.

I'm fortunate in that I don't have to think about such things, and I can't say that bitcoin is truly playing us all. First and foremost, it is an investment; ensure that the funds you have invested in the crypto market are funds that you can afford to lose. Make sure the crypto market is in good shape before investing, and always remember to tp or take profit before the crash; many individuals are still hodling and regret not taking advantage of the previous bull run. Expect a crash at any time, as whales are the ones who are doing it to take advantage of those who are embracing the euphoria that is causing BTC to expand even more. Plus I guess the reason I'm not bothered is that this is just my spare cash, and I've had previous experience with cryptocurrency, so I know it'll be rewarding soon.

I have simple way to see the market. In my opinion, bitcoin market should be profitable for trader. So any situation that not give opportunity for trader will not hold for long term. Stable price chart is impossible for this current market situation. Most of bitcoin users are trader, so I think if we know what traders expect for bitcoin market then we will not have any psychological issue.

You are right. I believe most investors in Bitcoin now only see what is happening in the immediate market price and don't seems to understand or take into consideration the past Bitcoin history and how Bitcoin has come back from market dips like this before.
Again if you are entering the market as a trader then you gats to be prepared for the constant volatility of Bitcoin price and this will constantly put you on your toes but I believe investing for a little longer time is best.

In my opinion, a profitable market for traders who have high volatility, so traders will be more enthusiastic about making transactions. but indeed in a trade of course there are winners and losers, because this is a natural law. but if market manipulation occurs, then we must be able to respond wisely

Manipulation is part of the market movement, there's an abnormal movement because of manipulation, but being a trader with experience, we should know it's happening from time to time and we should have a ready decision to make an effective strategy, whether we profit or we accumulate becasue of a cheap price.

even if we go down in any field, everything will rack our brains, so even farmers our brains are spinning, we have to think about how the harvest can be successful, what fertilizers we need to sprinkle, especially bitcoin which has challenges, and we have to learn all fields, start from the internet, trending, investment, etc., so it's only natural that our brains spin, and our money flows as our brains spin..

Emotional control is hard to handle, it was really bothersome, especially, if you put every penny you have on BTC and  haven't spare for your daily expenses.

Imagine, you can rest your eyes to see the price on the market every hour or even every minute, your heart almost crash.

A piece of advice which I quoted from other "Set your target price , then withdraw your BTC" 

It's not easy to believe in the future of Bitcoin, but many have proven that hodl BTC makes rich...

as you said that those who sold BTC in 2009 must be really sorry that they missed the opportunity to become millionaires. hold BTC for the long term will definitely bear fruit because the price of BTC continues to rise from year to year.

The number 1 rule here is that you just need to handle your emotions first in order for you to be more productive and don't let your emotions interfere with the things that you are working on because once your emotion interferes with your work, trust me that you will not be able to work well anymore just like on trading and bitcoin if you are seeing that the market and the coin that you've been invested in is currently dumping then that's the time that emotion is controlling you.

In my experience, I disagree with your thoughts about gambling nor investing on shares not giving such tricks on a person's mind. Clearly, you might have been not into these three long enough for you to have such conclusions. But in all honesty though, despite the mind tricks existing on these three, they have a bit of difference and it is the level of intensity and not an entirely different feeling. And because of these mind tricks, a lot have lost lots and lots of capital, even I was one of those people. One good thing though is that the effects of these mind tricks on you gets lesser and lesser the longer you are exposed to them.

Common newbie mindset and soon they would realize that things aren't really going on what they had expected and becoming rich overnight? This is something that do involved with gambling literally
and not talking about markets.

Bitcoin could really be neither a worthy investment to have and also could really wreck you up if you don't know on what you are doing.You should be mindful about the risk because volatility
could either your friend or enemy.

So you should be knowledgeable on how this market works and of course those things would be acquired through experience.

When we are getting into Bitcoin and generally crypto, feeling this doubt, indecision, uncertainty, and also misgivings are very common. Especially if sometimes we can't sleep well because we still have some coins that are in trading.
so many opinions running through your mind.
Yes, if we have not established ourselves with what we do according to the risks, we will indeed feel that way.
However, if we are sure and agree with whatever risks will be faced next, then these thoughts, doubts, and doubts will be reduced, or even non-existent.