After years of navigating the crypto market, I've seen too many smart people ultimately lose to their emotions, and technical experts see their holdings wiped out overnight due to leverage. What I want to share is not some secret to quick riches, but rather those counterintuitive survival rules that can help you survive a long bear market.

**Fast rises and slow declines are often just turnover, not signs of a top**

Many people see a sudden surge followed by a gradual correction and rush to sell, thinking the trend has peaked. In reality, this is often large institutional funds executing orderly turnover. The true top is silent; instead, a sudden spike followed by a slow bottoming indicates that institutions are quietly positioning.

As long as trading volume gradually diminishes during a correction, it’s not a sign of distribution. Remember the Bitcoin move from 28,000 to 35,000—many got shaken out, only for the price to surge to 45,000 afterward. Missing the top isn’t about market signals but about your own patience.

**Slow recovery after a flash crash is a trap, not an opportunity**

After a sharp drop, it may seem like a chance to re-enter, but this is often a smokescreen for main players to offload their holdings. There’s an old saying in crypto: "Don’t buy the dip in a panic." The principle is that true bottoms are forged through patience, not through panic selling.

Discipline is the key to harvesting emotions—this is the entire secret to surviving in this market.