[rwanger]

I do not live in fear of this variance. One reason could be that I play no-limit, and I suspect that you play limit.

Think about it this way, 50BB (big bets) is your max buy-in in no-limit. You know how often good players lose their whole stack? ALL THE TIME. You can even lose SEVERAL buy-ins...it shouldn't be a big deal if you are a good player.

If you truly can't get used to it, then you are either underrolled, playing with money you can't lose, or not cut out for poker.

I play MUCH better when I am not afraid of losing (ie. the amount of money doesn't bother me). It allows you to bluff and make tough calls that you couldn't do if you were worried about losing.

You need to be comfortable losing an amount of money consistent with the stakes you are playing. If you can't do that, then play more at the level below until losing $X doesn't bother you anymore.