Why Do I Always Think I'm Losing? What about you?

Does anyone else do this? I feel like I'm losing every game, but most of the time I end up winning. It's a mixed bag. One game I'm sure was lost however my opponent forfeited on time. So I've had a 12 game winning streak. I'm sure I will lose soon, but it's been a good run. At least part of it is I make a mistake and really am losing and then my opponent makes a mistake that saves me. I was wondering if others share this feeling.

I think we all suffer from self-doubt.

For what purpose? Popular threads get paid? No I really am sharing my feelings and want to know if others feel the same way.

I think the same, and generally I´m right. Even when I realize I´m winning I have the feeling I could spoil it at any moment.

I think when I feel I am losing, I tend to lose because I start looking for more risky moves in an attempt to turn the game around, as if there's some magic tactic! Inevitably, it doesn't work! If I make a mistake, I find it hard to recover and that often leads to a second mistake later down the line. 

I have been working on my psychology - I used to get really angry and frustrated when I blundered or when I lost a game, and that was putting unnecessary pressure on myself. I still have moments, but in general I try and forget the ratings and just enjoy the game. I lost a game the other day but I didn't feel terrible about it because I ended up learning a lot from it.

@mecuelgalapieza & @torrubirubi. Kind of going along with your points I think studying endgames helped my results. I still make terrible moves but they are less terrible than I used to. Also my opponents many times have no idea how to play the endgame and give back any advantage they had.

@andrewnox Yes I decided long ago I'm never going to be world champion so I might as well learn to enjoy the learning process. That process includes losing and trying to learn from it. 

Got to love the cookie monster, or at least the cookies.

here, take my 20c

I guess the frustration of losing a game makes a deeper impression than the satisfaction of winning a game

@AyoV Wow, I’ve never thought of it that way, but yeah, you think more if you lost than if you won. 

I do have this problem as well! 

I do the same. I look at my position and think its hopeless sometime. I did something cool by accident yesterday though. I somehow got a look at my position from the other side(white--I was playing black) and It gave me a whole different perspective. I wasn't in such bad shape after all.

I get paid for posting! But it has to be in response to and existing thread. So, DeidreSkye thanks for the quarter! I get 25cents when I mention someone's name in them.

I like this idea.

wish I could get paid for rambling, I'd retire yesterday.

I think this is inherently a human condition.  Generally by mid-game I can tell if I'm in bad or good position.  This doesn't negate the fact the I will continue as long as I believe opponent still has the possibility of giving the game back.  In most cases I respect the player giving credit before it is earned.  I have this problem in poker also.

Most of the time I neither think I'm winning nor losing. For the first 10-15 moves the game probably becomes pretty equal in most cases or sometimes an edge for one player or another. Decisive advantages should be pretty obvious unless it's hidden in a difficult combination or obscure technical endgame.

Even when you're worse, the position isn't always lost. So I would say in the majority of positions that end up on any given chess board, ones with a decisive advantage for black or white are clearly in the minority.

If you win most of the time then you're either a super GM or you're deliberately matching against lower level players.