I'm afraid to play anymore

The day before yesterday, I was chatting with a friend who trades. She suddenly welled up with tears in her eyes: "Back then, I was fully leveraged with my entire position, and my 400,000 yuan principal finally left me with less than 40,000."
I poured her a glass of water and smiled, saying: "Remember when I initially suggested you start with 80,000 to practice? How did you respond back then?"
She slammed the table: "'You're too cautious, when the opportunity comes, you gotta dare to jump'—looking back now, it was really reckless youth."
"Basically, back then, you only had one thought in mind: 'Missing out is worse than being trapped,' no matter how much I advised, you wouldn't listen," I sighed.
She leaned in closer, lowering her voice: "Do you think there are really big funds watching us retail traders? I buy, and it drops; I sell, and it rises right after. It feels like being chased and beaten."
I pointed at the candlestick chart on the screen: "This market runs 24/7, and your position compared to the entire pool is just like a grain of sand. You might think you're being targeted, but actually, it's just that newbies tend to overestimate their own control."
"So how do I turn things around?" she asked eagerly.
"The secret to making money in the crypto world, no one would believe if I told you," I paused, "It's not that there's no method; the real problem is not being able to control your own hands."
I continued, "I know a finance professor who did quantitative trading for years and ended up losing; a lady selling fruit downstairs from my apartment, who invests in funds and makes a small profit—it's not about lacking knowledge, but whether you can accept the reality that 'doing nothing sometimes earns more than reckless trading.'"
She asked again: "What should I do now?"
"Bitcoin is at a key support level. Enter gradually, set stop-losses each time, buy and hold without messing around," I said straightforwardly.
She paused: "Is it… that simple?"
"It's that simple. But the problem is—" I asked her back, "Can you go a month without looking at the market? Can you hold on when there's a 30% floating loss?"
She was silent.
In fact, most beginners in the crypto world share similar problems—constantly watching those hundredfold altcoins, as if staying up late to research makes them more diligent.
It's a bit like someone who has never used a fishing rod, always thinking fishing is a skillful activity, not realizing that real experts have long understood—being able to stay calm in the storm is more valuable than any technique.
Over the years, I've mentored many traders and gradually understood a principle: the secret in the crypto world is hidden in the most basic discipline—don't be greedy, don't be impatient, and don't always try to adjust your positions.
Most people fall into a vicious cycle, not because they lack effort, but because they need a clear direction. Market opportunities are always there; as long as you stick to discipline and patiently wait for the next wave, you'll be fine.