I can't anymore... I'm done with chess

Hi everyone. I am feeling extremely frustrated and demotivated and this is the only place that I can vent my frustration so apologies if this wastes anyone's time.

Up until about 2 months ago I was playing and studying chess daily. It was extremely fun and satisfying to keep on learning and improving. Unfortunately this led to me burning out, as I tend to take things to the extremes when I enjoy something, and I went on a hiatus for a few months.

Now recently I came back into it, playing here and there, and then the first "night grind" started. I sat down the one Friday night and decided to start seriously playing again. Loss after loss started rolling in and my frustration started building. At first I thought ah well what the heck, I'm probably on tilt or just tired or something, and so I closed the site and did something else, but unfortunately for my sanity, the losing didn't stop...

I played for a few days and things weren't getting better. I kept losing in the most ridiculous ways and the frustration built up so much that I just snapped... so I think I'm just done with chess. I can't do this anymore. About 300 rating points down the drain later and it feels as though all the hard hours of work I put into this game the past couple of years were wasted. I no longer have the energy nor the motivation to play.

Again, apologies if this little venting session wasted your time, but I just needed to get this out of my system.

Thank you to anyone who took the time reading this in full.

You shouldn't give up that's how we learn.

Wow... 1800 rated. I can only imagine how much hell it would be if I went that far in chess.

Got along before I knew you, I can get along without you. Have a good life, quitter.

Getting your thoughts out is good and gives me the idea that you are an-intelligent-individual.

Don't feel bad about "wasting peoples time". You didn't waste my time

I have good wishes for you. Kind reagrds-shadow1414.

If chess isn't fun for you, then stop. Hikaru himself has said if he didn't take a break from chess at the right time he would never be a super GM...

I am not used to read posts but accidentally saw this and I felt like answering, 'cause absolutely describes the reason I gave up. I started playing on November and for three months I did nothing but playing. There was a lot of excitement seeing my points increasing and my games improving, till I burned out, as you said. So, I decided to back off until I feel ready again. Judging by "I tend to take things to the extremes when I enjoy something...", as I act exactly the same way, I have to tell you not to worry for the years you spent 'cause I'm sure you'll be back at your bestest. Calm down and let it happen!

Not a waste of time.  I hear you, it definitely doesn't feel good to lose over and over.  Do you think playing games with more time might be more enjoyable for you?

Why not try playing fewer games with slower time controls and then spending some extra time playing over master games and analyzing some of your own? You played 19 games on April 29 alone. Maybe slow it down to 5 or 6 and have fun with some of the many other aspects of chess for a while. Do some lessons, try the drills. You're obviously a much higher-rated player than most of us on here, so you're not going to get a lot of sympathy from us schlubs, but there's so much more to chess than just playing incessantly and beating yourself up over losses.

Apology accepted. Now, get back to playing chess.

The more intense you do something the worse the depression is when you see your progress fall. Don’t worry- you’ll get it back over time. Coming from someone who spent 6-8 hours a day in the summer months of 2019 and 2020.

Don’t quit!

(It feels so strange being a 1300 rated player giving advice to an 1800 rated player)

When you're on tilt, the best way for you to regain your rating points is to take a break for a few days. Maybe the break wasn't long enough. Also, try playing slightly longer time controls, as you will get more time to think.

Chess.com rating points mean NOTHING. If you keep losing and losing and losing, just take a break for a few days, and try again. If you keep on playing, you will lose even more rating points

Also, try your hand at some puzzles. You haven't done any in a long time.

Most importantly, never give up.

I stopped playing for twenty years. Started again around 2012.

Blitz and bullet chess are fun, but you are not going to improve your chess thinking if you only play these fast games.  You should play slower games for awhile.  Also, you talk about playing constantly, but you don't mention studying at all.  More knowledge=more wins (over people who do minimal studying.)

Is that what you play ? all that superquick stuff ?

I agree with the last poster..slow down lol

There was a lovely blog post here by MomOnaBreak entitled joie de vivre. Reminded me of a school footie team half time talk by the Captain. Team was three nil down something like that the teacher had done his shouting rant at every player underperforming then the asked the Captain to say some words. Cappie said, This is a game. We have always played it for fun. If you aren't enjoying yourselves get off the pitch. and then they went on and it doesn't matter what the score was in the end now do it.

You can play chess variants for a change when you feel burning out. I recommend Chess 960.

This is relatable for any fairly serious chess player - this experience and feeling is inevitable and will happen many times unfortunately. Part of it is because we human players are not so consistent and might play differently for even outside factors like lack of sleep or mood; but there is much more to it than this. There are also math-based reasons this happens due to how the rating system works and is calculated. 

The key focus should be on learning chess (and having fun if possible). Note that If you reach 2000 rating and drop back down to 1500, then you are not 500 points weaker, less studied, or worse a player. No. You are still the same you. If you stabilized at a higher rating, then you are capable of reaching it again

I look at it partly in terms of milestones. Say someone reaches 1000 rating for the first time ever. Nothing takes away the fact that they were 1000 rated before...even if they temporarily drop below 1000 again. Actually, this is likely to happen several times before they are over 1000 consistently; chess has so many ups and downs. Same story for 1200, 1400, 1600, or any chess rating really (doesn't need to be intervals of 200). 

Good luck