The phrase "crypto winter" has become shorthand in the community, but it's fundamentally misleading.

Markets don't actually freeze. They pause, recalibrate, reset—sure. But the infrastructure keeps building, developers keep shipping, and capital keeps flowing. What we call "winter" is really just a different season with different dynamics.

When Bitcoin drops 50% and altseason fades, people panic and call it a freeze. Yet simultaneously, thousands of wallets are accumulating, smart contracts are deploying, and real adoption metrics keep climbing. That's not frozen—that's recalibration.

The psychology behind the term matters. It creates fear narratives that don't match reality. Every down cycle has been followed by new infrastructure, new use cases, and new participants entering the space. The only thing that truly stops is hype—and honestly? We're better off without it.

Next time the market cools, think of it as reset, not winter.