Okay… stock market basics. Here’s how I’m actually trying to invest without fear in 2026
So yeah… stock market basics. I’m sitting here in my tiny apartment outside Delhi (wait no—Faridabad technically), January 18, 2026, 12-something PM, AC making that weird clicking noise again, chai gone cold on the table, and I’m still low-key scared every time I open my brokerage app. Like heart-rate-spikes scared. But I’m doing it anyway. That’s the whole point I guess.
I used to think “investing” was something only suited-boot people with perfect jawlines did while drinking overpriced black coffee. Then 2022 happened, everyone and their mom was talking crypto and “stonks”, I FOMO’d into some garbage mid-cap stock at the literal top, watched it drop 65% in four months, threw up in my mouth a little, and swore I’d never touch the market again.
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Spoiler: I’m back. Mostly because sitting on cash while inflation eats it feels even worse than watching red candles.
Why Most People (Me Included) Are Terrified of Stock Market Basics
It’s not really the math. It’s the feeling.
- That moment your portfolio drops 8% in one afternoon and you’re convinced you’re financially illiterate and doomed
- Refreshing the app at 3:15 AM because you had a bad dream about circuit breakers
- Seeing some 22-year-old on YouTube say “just buy the dip bro” while you’re eating Maggi at 2 AM wondering if you should sell everything
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I’ve done all three. Multiple times.
The fear isn’t irrational — losing real money hurts. But staying out forever because you’re scared is also a choice… and usually the more expensive one long-term.
Helpful starting point I wish someone screamed at me earlier: → Read the actually decent beginner stuff on Zerodha Varsity — it’s free, Indian-focused, and doesn’t treat you like you already have an MBA.
My Current “I’m Not Panicking Anymore” System (It’s Boring on Purpose)
I’m not day trading. I’m not picking multi-baggers. I’m just trying not to hate myself every quarter.
Here’s what I actually do right now in 2026:
- 70% goes into a very vanilla Nifty 50 index fund (UTI Nifty 50 or Motilal Oswal — both fine). Set-and-forget. Lowest drama possible.
- 20% large-cap active funds that aren’t complete trash (Parag Parikh Flexi Cap still slaps).
- 10% “fun money” — individual stocks I actually understand or want to support. Right now that’s HAL, Dixon Technologies, and one very risky small-cap defence play I will not name because if it goes to zero I’ll cry.
I auto-invest ₹8,000 every 5th via SIP because watching my salary hit the account and then immediately disappear into mutual funds feels less painful than doing it manually.
Also I turned off push notifications. Seriously. Turn them off. Your mental health will thank you.
The Embarrassing Mistakes That Actually Taught Me the Most
- Bought Adani Power at ₹4200 because “green hydrogen future” (down ~55% since then lol)
- Sold HDFC Bank in early 2023 because “it’s not moving” — it’s up like 60% since I sold
- Tried options once. Lost ₹47,000 in nine days. Never again.
Every single one of those felt like the end of the world at the time. Now they’re just expensive lessons that fit in one paragraph.
Quick Resources I Actually Use (Outbound Links for Cred)
- Zerodha Varsity modules → https://zerodha.com/varsity/
- Free course on index investing by Pattu (freefincal) → https://freefincal.com/
- NSE India beginner section (surprisingly decent) → https://www.nseindia.com/learn
- Vanguard’s investor questionnaire if you want to figure out your real risk tolerance → https://investor.vanguard.com/tools-calculators/investor-questionnaire
Look — You Don’t Have to Be Fearless, Just Less Scared Than Yesterday
I still get nervous. Yesterday the market dipped 1.8% and I had to talk myself out of checking my portfolio seventeen times.
But now I know:
- Time in the market beats timing the market (cliché but true)
- Small consistent investing > big heroic bets
- The biggest risk is doing nothing and waking up in 2040 with ₹2.17 in today’s money
So yeah. Stock market basics aren’t sexy. They’re just… necessary.
If you’re sitting there feeling the same stomach-knot I used to feel every time CNBC played, just start stupidly small. ₹500 a month. One share. Whatever.
You’ll be okay. Probably.