Lowering Elo Loss Anxiety

I often feel self-conscious about my Elo Rating. I feel rather discouraged from playing Online matches since I often worry about losing my Elo and going down a whole lot. Does anybody have suggestions/advice on how to lower my Elo anxiety?

Also, Please don't say something like "Just play Casual Games!". I get it, but I still want to gain Elo and play Rated. I just want advice on how I can be less anxious about my Elo rating going down from losing games.

In chess just playing many games is not everything , my suggestion would be after playing games you should take a break after that come and analyse your mistakes that will help improve .

regarding dealing with elo loss anxiety and things , simple suggestion and effective one is give it time . sometimes as human phycology we try to achieve something so badly that when we start to go backward in it we feel anxious and depressed . so try taking few days off .

you must have also heard people talking about taking breaks from their work and going on vacation , similarly take few days off , after that when you will play again you will have fresh mindset and will be motivated enough to keep playing .

apart from that if you wish to improve game this might help you just give it a try - https://www.chess.com/blog/TheMonkPlayingChess/the-first-step many beginner players have found it useful

Understand that while you're not going to win every game, you can at least try to win more often than you lose. You'll be going up faster than you go down.

If instead you're just going down, stop for a while.

Playing higher rated opponents can be a weird solution, but it technically works because you gain more if you win and lose less if you don't, in addition to still receiving Elo if you draw.

One thing that helps me is to realize that you are the ONLY one who cares! Not your opponent, not your partner, not your mom, not your dog. Just you. It's like having a zit on your butt; it bothers you, but the rest of the world isn't interested. So play chess and have fun.

Hello! I have also struggled with ladder anxiety - which isn't unique to chess but is present in lots of games. Here are some things to consider:
1. The ratings here are fake internet points. If you lose them, you won't lose your home. You aren't out any money. It doesn't affect your standing in society. For the most part, it's in your head and that's where my second point comes in.
2. Make goals for yourself that are not rating related. For instance, for your goal for the month, you might want to work on resilience and play a certain number of games per week. Maybe another goal is to hit a certain accuracy, or to learn a new opening. You may lose rating initially, and you have to be okay with that. Because
3. Lots of people feel stress in competitive games. If no one played competitively, there would be no laddering - there wouldn't be that aspect to the community. So by choosing to be a part of it, you are helping the community and everyone who wants to try to climb the ladder and improve.
4. You can't improve if you won't play.
But I'd like to emphasize that you can get over your rating anxiety. It takes work but you can do it. Good luck!

Focus on process not outcome. Incremental improvement will lead to better results. If you are happy or angry you are not giving attention to methods of play. Every game is a learning oportunity so take advantage of it.

Focus on becoming a better chessplayer. Forget about the rating. If you study effectively, the quality of your play will improve and, as a result, you will gain more rating points. What is important is chess skill, not rating points.