I took a quick look at the Fear Index today—it shot up to 23, which is firmly in the “Extreme Fear” zone. What does this mean? The market is in a full-blown panic, and a lot of people are starting to get shaky hands.

But looking at it from another angle, the more emotions collapse, the closer we usually are to a bottom. You know that old saying: “The most pessimistic moments in the market are often the best times.” Of course, that’s easy to say, but the key is how to act on it.

Here are three practical ideas for you:

First, don’t rush to sell. If you’re holding strong assets like Bitcoin or Ethereum, selling in a panic now will most likely make you regret it. Emotional lows are often not the real price bottoms, but selling out at emotional lows is basically giving your money to others.

Second, treat fear as a warning sign. The number 23 isn’t telling you to buy blindly, but it’s a reminder: it’s time to pay close attention. When the market is frozen, opportunities often hide in the cracks—don’t just blindly follow the crowd.

Third, entering in batches is the safest bet. Always wanted to get in but afraid of buying the top? Times like these are actually good for dollar-cost averaging. Split your funds into three or five parts, buy a little each time the price dips, and you’ll stay much calmer—and you won’t go all in only to find the price can drop further.

At the end of the day, numbers are just a reflection of emotions. When others panic, let’s stay calm, be less impulsive, observe more, and stick to our game plan. The real opportunities are often hidden in the midst of all the wailing.