Is it possible to put too much pressure on yourself?

[Edax]

Honestly I am in the same boat as you. If I so much as miss a geirskogul or miss align a jump in normal content I beat myself up even though I am probably doing some of the best dps if not the best dps because other ppl know to chill in easy content. This results in me being very stressed and disappointed in my runs. The only thing that has helped lessen this issue is just not playing my main class in every day content. For some odd reason I cannot take a deep breath as a drg, but if I switch out to nin or rdm I find myself having more fun. Perhaps try this and see if it helps.

I leveled up to 70 as a Dragoon, but I switched over to Samurai because it's far less stressful. Dragoon's Nastrond mechanic runs on a timer, both when active and when building it up. If you don't do thing just right, you'll loss the ability to use Nastrond or lose a chance at using Nastrond 3 times. It's very frustrating and forces me to choose between dodging a boss' mechanic or realizing the full potential of my Dragoon. I recommend giving Samurai a try, since they simply just build up their resources and it doesn't expire over time. This means your always ready to roll, even if the boss has disappeared or caused you to dodge his mechanics. It's so much more stress free by not having those timed mechanics that boost damage.

[AppleJinx]

Always thinking you played like garbage is a good motivator for improvement. 5.3k is honestly on the low side. Set small goals for yourself each week like try to do 200 dps more every time you enter the fight and you will start doing decent dps in no time

[Kirsten_Rev]

Having gotten involved in some discussions lately, I have to ask, is there such a thing as putting too much pressure on yourself? This started in another thread, but I didn't want to take away from current discussions, so here I am. Under my pen standards for myself, I'm averaging about 5.3k in damage as NIN on O9S with my static. I regard myself as a garbage player because of those numbers. My question is two fold.

Is it possible that I'm being too harsh on myself? (I have reason to believe that my numbers are bad made on other discussions I've been involved in on the forums)

Yes, I think it's absolutely possible. I know for me personally, harshness almost never produces improvements: it just makes me angry at myself, or possibly embarrassed. Just as constructive criticism and encouragement are key factors to getting the most out of, say, employees in the workplace, so too are they essential for getting the most out of ourselves. Harshness really has no place in the discussion, in my estimation.

The other question is, is it possible to put too much pressure on yourself, whether it's in casual or raiding content?

I'd again suggest yes. I think it's possible to put too much pressure on yourself in any situation, but it holds doubly true for a game that's intended, first and foremost, to entertain. As an example from my personal life, I have a PhD in mathematics. During my time in the graduate program, I became aware that several of my fellow students were placing so much pressure on themselves to succeed, that they were literally taking medicine intended for people with PTSD. They were giving themselves panic attacks.

I'd go further and suggest that self-imposed pressure is generally a bad thing, regardless of how much there is. If I'm not doing something, odds are there's a reason for it, even if it's a reason I'm not aware of. Maybe I'm not motivated at work because I don't enjoy what I'm doing; maybe I'm struggling to keep up with daily chores because I'm not getting enough sleep; maybe I'm struggling in O9S because I simply don't have the memory and reaction times for it. In each of these cases, doubling-down and placing pressure on myself generally distracts from the real issue, hiding it behind a veil of self-criticism.

So, that's why I personally almost never place pressure on myself. Though there are times when I feel it's warranted, such times are rare, and always one-off instances rather than patterns. Instead, when I'm struggling with something, I look instead for the root cause. I've found that to be far more productive and enlightening.

[Alacran]

To the OP, yes i do believe so. I love Dark Knight, the lore, the actions, the the role (though at first i was as upset as many others that it was not a DPS). However i hate Tanking. Not that i don't respect and admire those that do, i just fear my own ineptitude will cause issues in dungeons, sadly it's the trash pulls that stress me out most. I don't have the confidence to pull big, and i know others want to be done aS fast as possible so i don't bother.

[Liam_Harper]

Always thinking you played like garbage is a good motivator for improvement.

I've found it unhealthy way to demotivate and frustrate yourself.

Nothing wrong with assuming you can improve, then you're always on the look out for the small details you can push further on, but assuming you're rubbish and play terrible is disheartening. If you always have that attitude, somewhere along the line you think "what's the point in trying, I'll always suck".

Noticing you're doing fine is encouraging. Then you want to push further and do better than fine and be the best and that starts looking like a realistic goal.

[Paladinleeds]

Always thinking you played like garbage is a good motivator for improvement. 5.3k is honestly on the low side. Set small goals for yourself each week like try to do 200 dps more every time you enter the fight and you will start doing decent dps in no time

No, it really isn't. Now thinking "Hmm, what can I do better?" is one thing, but thinking you're always rubbish (aka failing) is quite another, and is very unhealthy. Take it from me, that thinking you're always rubbish mentality almost got me sectioned under the mental health act (and still having to get professional support for it). If you think that's healthy, then I don't know what to say...

[Cabalabob]

I kinda get this on my MCH, where I’ve looked at all the guides, upgraded my gear as best I can with what’s available and I still pull off shoddy numbers. I run out of ways I can think of to improve myself and yet I’m still sub-par, it can be very frustrating and no amount of asking myself what I’m doing wrong? Is going to help.

I feel like this is very much a dps exclusive issue too, tanks and healers have such basic rotations, put debuffs/DoTs on and spam your high dps skill. So it’s very easy as a tank or healer to achieve your best numbers. But dps jobs get so many skills abilities and oGCD attacks that you have to use in a very specific order with very specific timing and minor mistakes can cripple your numbers.

And yes I know healers and tanks have their stress from mitigation and healing, so you wouldn’t want to pile on complex rotations too. But a lot of fights are so mechanic heavy that this is really not just a healer and tank thing anymore, dps do as much stuff as them in a fight while having to keep their rotation in order.

[Gemina]

If you feel like you're putting too much pressure on yourself, then you're already on the losing side of the battle. It isn't healthy, nor is there any enjoyment to be found. This is what people in very important careers do because it actually affects their lives, and even for them it isn't healthy. This is a video game my friend, and you should be having fun.

I am guilty of this as well, and it's a big reason why I do not do savage raids, especially as a DPS which I don't play at all in this game. And on the flip side, it is a big reason why I love 24-man so much because it's a theme park with mechanics you still need to pay attention to. No one is under the spotlight in 24-man. Nobody.

So my suggestion to you is if you want to continue to do harder content, then you're going to have to learn to take that pressure off of yourself. Believe it or not, it's actually bringing your numbers down. I guarantee that your numbers will remain respectable, if not go up if you go in there with confidence and just have fun.

[Corue]

Yes. Now stop making these bloody "woe is me" threads and just chill out.

[Dualgunner]

Always thinking you played like garbage is a good motivator for improvement. 5.3k is honestly on the low side. Set small goals for yourself each week like try to do 200 dps more every time you enter the fight and you will start doing decent dps in no time

I've found it unhealthy way to demotivate and frustrate yourself.

Nothing wrong with assuming you can improve, then you're always on the look out for the small details you can push further on, but assuming you're rubbish and play terrible is disheartening. If you always have that attitude, somewhere along the line you think "what's the point in trying, I'll always suck".

Noticing you're doing fine is encouraging. Then you want to push further and do better than fine and be the best and that starts looking like a realistic goal.

No, it really isn't. Now thinking "Hmm, what can I do better?" is one thing, but thinking you're always rubbish (aka failing) is quite another, and is very unhealthy. Take it from me, that thinking you're always rubbish mentality almost got me sectioned under the mental health act (and still having to get professional support for it). If you think that's healthy, then I don't know what to say...

Just wanted to add my two cents here...

I call myself garbage about...6/10 as a joke. The intent is to not let myself get a big head and rest on my laurels, or basically as a reverse Dunning-Kruger. At the end of the day though, I know what I've accomplished, and I know that I'm not absolute garbage bin material (at least recycling bin).

I don't use calling myself garbage as my drive to improve, however. Maybe reverse Dunning-Kruger (Kruger-Dunning?) isn't entirely too healthy, either, but I agree that constantly beating yourself down as your drive to improve isn't the best way to go about things.

What AppleJinx said in her second sentence though I agree with completely: set small goals for yourself to improve. Maybe not numerical (200 dps per) but definitely mechanical. As an example, this tier on RDM my goal has become to not waste mana (meaning, avoid overcapping at all costs). This involves me getting creative with spending mana before bursts and working harder to time them with the minute-to-minute burst windows.

Simple, mechanically understandable steps forward should be the focus. Numbers will follow.