There are times in every relationship that may be taxing, once you are past the honeymoon phase you go through certain re-adjustments with ups and downs, twists and turns. Finally, you feel like you know each other, and you become comfortable and relaxed together.
Maybe all is not well? You start to notice worrying behaviours… They spend less time with you, you catch them on their phone in the middle of the night, and then one day they mention some unfamiliar name in their sleep. But worry not, your partner may have simply developed an interest in Cryptocurrencies.
When my partner first mentioned it to me I thought that it was an interesting idea… he only mentioned one coin, Bitcoin. From this first mention, nothing happened for a while then he later tried to convince me to buy some. I learned a little and made a small investment and this seemed like an innocent hobby… but for my partner, this is where his obsession with all things Crypto started
Warning signs and What to expect
So, you remember this special loving look in their eyes during the first dates? The mix of amazement and passion? Yes, that one! In my country we call it ‘buttery eyes’… Now, it’s buttery eyes for Cryptocurrencies!
You try to take advantage of the Boxing Day sales, scampering from shop to shop together, hunting the best offers, being fussed over by the nice and helpful shop assistants… but they run away like startled gazelles, scared off by a question: Do you accept Bitcoin?
Seemingly out of nowhere, your partner may become very thrifty and not wish to spend money on anything unnecessary…. Except cryptocurrencies
You may realise that they start to speak a foreign language… Soon, you discover that FUD is bad, fiat is not a car … and you should KEEP CALM AND HODL or you get Rekt.
You may wake up to dull lights in bed in the middle of the night. Are they messaging someone in secret? Why so excited? You may be reassured that they are probably just reading charts and articles.
You will receive very regular updates on Crypto related things that you don’t care about. At all. Seriously.
They will sacrifice sleep to feed their habit
Your family may disapprove of his behaviour.. and his family.. and your friends…
A humming computer may appear in the corner of your bedroom and be accompanied by high electric bills. He says he’s mining Crypto… at least white noise helps HIM sleep when he does.
Some unusual emotional reactions may occur. Ranging from screaming HODL to laughing and smiling at their phone. Or they may just have a vacant or haunted look in their eyes (depending on the state of the market)
My recipe for happiness / how to manage your Crypto partner
Give them time to do their thing. This is important for your own sanity
Tell them when enough is enough. At some point they seriously need to shut up about the bloody Cryptocurrencies!
Reassure them in times of ‘dips’, this may be an ‘emotional’ time. Also see number 2
Keep their feet on the ground when the ‘bull is running’ (when they are making ‘money’). They will show you their phone screen multiple times an hour. ‘See, look! It’s going up its $5000’ then ‘look $5200’, ‘$5280, should I buy?’ etc, etc…. Don’t let them throw all their savings away. My partner calls it FOMOing. See also number 2
You may have to ask more specific questions to get non-crypto answer… I asked my partner ‘What number is it?’ whilst at the airport shortly after a conversation about gate numbers…. The response was ‘about $200 but it’s coming up’. Try not to bite their head off… instead ask ‘What gate number is our flight?’
Remember, there is an up side
The up side
Your partner probably wants to improve your life together and is thinking about the future
My partner convinced me to make a small investment and I paid off some debts with it
My horizons are broadening, some of things he tells me about could change the world and its good to know there is more to this than just money
We got a lovely holiday out of it! Yes, the trading and HODLing may actually pay off at some point!
It’s nice to see the passion in him and it gives me motivation to pursue my own adventures
As far as addictions go, it’s a pretty beneficial one so far and the harm is mostly contained to his retinas
It makes him happy and that makes me happy
I am writing this in the hope that it will help all those of you that have Crypto partners. It helps to see this as a second puberty, it will settle eventually, and they will be better for it afterwards. It can just be a bit of a roller coaster in the meanwhile
