Crypto Investing and Mental Health

Cryptocurrency trading has had its share of negative press, especially in relation to mental health. 

The price volatility of any investment, but particularly the crypto market, combined with the fact that crypto is highly accessible to everyone, can mean increased stress and anxiety for many market participants.

This guide was written in the spirit of Mental Health Awareness Day. It’s aimed at crypto investors and traders at all levels. If you are new to crypto, let this be a useful lesson in crypto investing. If you are experienced, let this be a kind reminder that your mental health is as important as the return on your investment.

Having a healthy mindset

For those who are inclined, investing in new and often unproven crypto projects, or using leverage to multiply your crypto trading potential certainly play a part in investment strategy. However, in doing these activities, it’s always good to maintain a healthy mindset.

Adopting a healthy mindset means taking some of the emotion out of the process which should, in turn, help reduce stress and knee jerk reactions that can impact your trading risks.

The systematic risks of trading or investing in crypto assets or projects may always be there as with any investment. . However, you can reduce  unnecessary risks that stem from emotional decision-making.

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If you feel you are suffering from anxiety here are some useful resources to get help:

http://www.lifeline.co.nz  0800 543 354 (available 24/7)

Whatsapp: 0800 942 8787 (12pm to 11pm)

http://depression.org.nz Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)

https://www.anxiety.org.nz/helpline Anxiety helpline: 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY) (available 24/7)

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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Mental resilience & media consumption

In general the media and other websites have one focus –  to attract readers and listeners onto their own platform and to stay there as long as possible, so they can  earn revenue from advertising. This means that headlines and topics are often crafted to evoke strong emotions to keep the audience engaged.

You are likely to both be bombarded with messages and read or listen to news about a particular asset’s meteoric rise in the market, or total failures or scams in the scale of billions of dollars. These may be enticing to learn more about, but they may not necessarily be helpful to you.

Therefore, think about what you consume and read widely – look for alternate opinions and do your research. But if you often feel uneasy due to the volatility of the market, it is worth spending time learning about the cyclical nature of markets and how they move through phases of growth and decline. And perhaps even how these two concepts relate to what’s happening in the global economy.

A healthy world economy and advancements in science and technology are some of the primary drivers of wealth among the global population. These advances will also get reflected on the market price charts over long periods of time.

Many experienced investors value slow and steady growth, and choose not to get too distracted by  the noises of temporary market corrections that may impact on the current market situation.

Investing with good practices

You may be someone who trades crypto for a living. Or you could be someone who passively invests in crypto. Regardless of what you do,  a basic understanding of good practices in investing can serve you well during periods of uncertainty.

Financial behaviours differ from one individual to another, but the overarching themes remain the same:

1. Save before you invest.

It’s a common mistake to dabble in financial markets before you have a sufficient amount of savings. No matter your source of income, it’s never 100% guaranteed that you will earn money every single time.

So, set aside savings and only use some of those funds for investment. 

2. Invest with a goal in mind

“To earn as much profit as you can” may not be a realistic or useful goal. Investing is usually bound with time. Are you investing so that you can establish a deposit for a house in 3 years time? Are you investing for your retirement or for your kid’s financial betterment?

The shorter the investment time horizon, the riskier your investment will be. Remember, the crypto market is highly volatile. In 2022, Bitcoin has recorded a 60% drawdown, although its current price is about 70x higher than it was five years prior.  The longer timeline for seeing a return the more likelihood you’ll see a better outcome with your investment.

3. Diversify

You may love crypto for their historic gains, but it’s good to be practical. Crypto has only been around for a little more than a decade. Traditional investment instruments, like government bonds, stocks, index funds and mutual funds, have also helped many ordinary investors for many years.

It’s unwise to ignore these instruments or deem them as having less worth than crypto. A diversified portfolio is a sensible way to manage your investment risk. Even if you are investing aggressively into crypto for the long-term, it is worth including less volatile instruments in your portfolio.

Even within your crypto portfolio choices, it’s a good practice to diversify across a different coins, with both similar and varied project objectives and purposes

Related: Learn how diversification can benefit you.

4. Invest consistently over time

There are many Internet gurus who promise to teach aspiring investors the illusive knowledge of buying an asset at the best time possible. In reality, the market is hard to predict — at least, in the short-term.

However, rather than painstakingly analysing price charts, some investors don’t try to time the market at all. Rather than buying an asset in a lump sum, they would invest consistently in smaller amounts over time. 

These investors would still invest, even if the market wasn’t going the way they wanted. That’s because they believe that the market will recover again, and that they are buying up assets at a discount.

This simple technique is called Dollar-Cost Averaging. Anyone can do it, even with very small amounts and there’s supporting evidence that it works well with extremely volatile markets.

Learn more: What is Dollar-Cost Averaging?

The takeaway

Having a healthy mindset and approach, being mindful of your media consumption, and investing following good practices will help you maintain a healthy mental outlook. Keeping a focus on your long term goals should help maintain a clear mind about your financial objectives despite the short term swings of the markets.

If you have to take one thing away from this guide, it is that you should plan to be patient. We wish you every success in your crypto journey!