Afraid to play

Howdy bro, maybe that went through my head when I was at 1500, just play with what you know and have fun playing but if you don't feel prepared you can openings and key moves and plays to avoid losing your level and keep advancing, just be respectful when playing

I'll enjoy my rating while it last :grimace

hehe yeah, but you can still find one or another rude or bad that those are annoying

Be brave courageous and bold!  Just don't play when you can't summon the proper focus, don't play on a losing streak, play when you are able to focus.  Playing higher-rated players will advance your rating and if you lose, you won't lose much if they outrank you, so if it costs you a point or two for a loss, you will recover.

And remember, if you can't lose, you can't play, and if you can't play, you can't win either!

Thanks no pain no gain I guess

Hope you don't mind advice from a much lower rated player, but I think the only way forward is to accept now that you WILL definitely fall below 1500 again. Ratings peak and trough, no two ways about it. You'll meet stronger opponents, and you'll lost a few. But you'll adjust and improve and go beyond 1500 to a new peak in due course. If you stop now you've maxed out. I certainly intend to go beyond 1500 in my life, I imagine you do too.

Congrats on 1500.
I know the feeling after tilting 90 points and getting it all back.

Like somebody mentioned , working on preparation and focus before you play. I will do rated puzzles or review lines quickly before I play; it may take 10 minutes or an hour.

1500 is my goal at the moment.

I like to think of ratings in terms of milestones and goals. In this case, 1500 rating is an exciting milestone (I still remember how excited I was upon crossing 1500 chess.com rating for the first time!) and NOTHING can change the fact that you've reached it. True you might temporarily drop rating and true you might drop below 1500 again (statistically it is actually likely you will drop below it multiple times and recover), but even this doesn't change the fact that your 1500 milestone was accomplished

It is good to celebrate the little victories as well as the bigger accomplishments on our chess journeys. Of course, sitting on your 1500 rating indefinitely will halt your improvement and take away any chance at reaching an even higher milestone (like 1600), so when you feel ready, get back out there and keep working on your chess rating

I also look at middle game plans to see what kind of playable positions I will reach by going thru the master games explorer, my game analysis and even running lines against the engine.

This will help you improve at the intermediate level (1400-1900) and stretch out the time in between playing.

it is very nice to see people who support you

Thanks everyone I'm definitely playing higher rated players. Not below 1500 so I wouldn't lose it fast

It's a hard thing to overcome. Try to see chess is not a competition but a thing to learn. And you progress by playing (not by winning)

Lol what, pay money?! 🤣

Don't worry about your rating

It's not complicated....it couldn't be simpler. Regardless of your rating and regardless of your trend line.....in fact, regardless of any other variables, there are only two options. 

1. Show up and play.

2. Quit and throw in the towel. 

No one can help you. You just need to choose 1 or 2. 

Do not confuse elo and ego.
Contrary to poker it is no money you lose.

I am a lowly 640 but I am afraid to play rated games.  I play rated maybe once a month.

It seems like if I am tired (as I often am), distracted by whatever is going on around me, worried about other stuff in life or just agitated (like when I read a newspaper), I move too fast and think too little, and blunder horribly.

On the positive side I am reading chess books my mentor recommended to me, and so I am able to make good use of my time when I am “not having a good chess day.”

The site keeps track of your highest ever rating which is proudly displayed in the summary on the main screen on the right.  Try to push THAT value higher, rather than worrying about your current rating.