Yes, most people who play Starcraft II have something called "Ladder Anxiety." There's even an article on Liquipedia (Team Liquid is one of the most prominent

Yes, most people who play Starcraft II have something called "Ladder Anxiety." There's even an article on Liquipedia (Team Liquid is one of the most prominent teams in the professional Starcraft scene) about anxiety during play: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Dealing_with_anxiety http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Dealing_with_anxiety In general, I've found that, long term, if you are playing to win, it's not worth it to focus on the ladder - the MMR system will pit you up against people who are better or worse than you, in order to keep your winrate about even. It makes the game much more stressful than it is fun, though it does also make you think and move faster. I prefer playing comp stomps (versus AIs) or casual games (like monobattles), something that I would have scoffed at when I was younger (and more competitive).