You check your portfolio for the third time today. It's 9am. Sound familiar? You're not alone and you're not irrational. Crypto runs on emotion as much as anything else, and with the volatility that comes with it, the full spectrum can hit before your first coffee. Here are the emotions you'll meet along the way and what to do when they show up.

Hope

Hope is what gets you started. That's not a small thing. And it tends to spread.

Typical symptoms include a positive outlook, inspiring others around you and an endless source of willpower. Hope is a powerful tool in investing so remember to keep some for when times get tough.

Fear

Fear, a shiver up your spine, a cold sweat and your heart hammering in your chest. When people told you that investing wasn’t always an easy ride, this is what they meant.

Fear has its uses. Sometimes it's your body telling you it's time to sell or rethink your strategy. These moments rarely come without a lesson. Keep a clear head first, then act to minimise the impact.

Joy

If investing wasn’t full of moments of joy, no one would do it. From making your first investment to watching your net worth grow, there are plenty of reasons to feel good about what you're doing.

If you find yourself singing in the shower or surprised by the spring in your step, don’t be alarmed, these are classic signs of joy. Embrace these moments because you never know when the next one will come along.

Paranoia

A degree of scepticism goes a long way in investing. In crypto especially, it's often justified. You probably know why. But sometimes this mentality develops into paranoia and can spoil moments when you should really just be focusing on life.

Investing should complement the life you live, not ruin it. Obsessing over things you can’t control helps nobody, so take the time to think rationally before you make decisions that could have a real impact on your finances.

Doubt

No matter how experienced you are, one day you're going to wake up and see a wall of red. It's a heavy feeling. You might ask yourself why you bothered in the first place, or feel the urge to sell everything just to make it stop.

That feeling is valid. Nobody enjoys watching their money shrink. But remember that price cycles have always corrected themselves, and investing is a long term activity. The people who come out strongest are the ones who sit tight when it's hardest to do so. 

Relief

Relief comes when you stop making decisions based on how you're feeling that day. Not because the emotions disappear, but because you've built a rhythm that doesn't depend on them. Conveniently, we have something for that.

Our Savings Plans use cost averaging to do exactly that. The idea is simple: invest a fixed amount at regular intervals, no matter what the markets are doing or how you're feeling. Over time it helps minimise the impact of price swings, because you're buying through the highs and the lows rather than trying to time them.

How are you, really?

No matter how long you've been in crypto, these emotions will find you. They show up for beginners and seasoned investors alike, and any of them can hit out of nowhere and influence what you do with your money. The highs and lows are part of it. What changes over time is how much they run the show. The good news is that a stress-free investing routine is only a few clicks away.