Just quit and never come back to it if it impact your life in such a negative way. Poker is profitable only for a small % of population... I guess the % is only going down in the future...

So you have a problem? If yes, what can you do to alleviate it?

That's the #1 thing that holds me back from advancing deeper into the game: Tilt. I have so many bad habits built up over the years, and my life has been beyond emotionally taxing (and is atm, too) so when I sit down to the tables it manifests itself. It's amazing how I can play a solid, profitable game for weeks straight and then one little thing starts an avalanche that just totally drains any profits I've made, destroys me psychologically, and forces me to get away from the game for a bit. It's always held me back and I still haven't been able to find a solution.

The one positive to this, and maybe it's even more valuable than money in some cases, is that my mental game away from poker is drastically improved. Drastically. I handle stress and manage my emotions infinitely better than I did ten years ago before I started playing this game. I mean, I'm not even like the same person and although poker isn't entirely responsible for that...it's definitely partially responsible.

I just can't keep it together at the tables every time I start climbing stakes.

Good luck bro, the same thing is with me. Exactly the same. We make it one day.