Thanks and help!

[GeekMatt]

I know some great tanks who just never totally became confident with that role. Some people just dont have thick skin for dealing with jerks, and so these tanks end up only wanting to tank with friends, rarely venturing out with randoms.

I personally have a grand ole' time with jerks in DF, but that's not for everyone. And it doesn't matter how good or bad you are as a player, someone will still try to make you feel like crap--it's hardest on tanks not because tanking is harder than the other roles, but because our mistakes stand out the most, making us targets. The best thing you can do for your confidence, IMO, is just make sure you understand your skills inside and out, and make an effort to understand the game itself (other roles, etc) so if someone calls you out on something, you don't have to be uncertain of yourself, you can simply state what happened and why. If it's your fault you can apologize (unless they're jerks, then try to subtly kill them on the next pull without wiping the party), and if it's not, you can stand your ground and call them out.

[Telanne]

Drink before you tank. Seriously. If you know you're prepared (as much as you can be) but are feeling nervous, I recommend whiskey.

Only thing I'd add besides researching before doing harder content is to try and talk/raid with the best tanks you know and pick their brains. I joined a hardcore FC as a relatively new tank and learned a ton getting feedback from our veteran tanks on what I can do to improve.

[saber_alter]

there are a few things that come to mind...

practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent.

it is impossible to reach perfection in anything, doesn't matter how hard you try. what you can do is make things routine, habitual. in time, bracing yourself by popping CDs/stoneskinning for big hits becomes instinct.

another thing that comes to mind is to always ask questions. as a tank, we set the pace of a fight. that's one of our jobs. most of us aren't the trailblazers, so it can't hurt to ask a question...or thirty. the more you know about a fight, the smoother it probably will go.

be patient. runs don't always go perfectly. foul ups happen. the best way to deal with them is to laugh it off and try again. if you get too frustrated, walk away from it a bit and come back when your willing.