Playing Against Higher Rated Opponents

There is something intimidating about sitting across the board from someone who has a rating that is 220 rating points higher than yours.  You think that you have no chance of winning, and that they will easily beat you in a simple 20 move game.  But there is something to keep in mind when you play someone so much higher rated than you.  They are the one that has to prove that they can beat you.  You have no pressure on yourself to win.  All you have to do is play your best, and that is all you can do. Just yesterday, I played in a tournament in which I played some guys who were 150-220 points higher than me. The one that was 220 points higher than me wasn't able to prove that he could beat me. We drew. 
Although playing against people that are higher rated than you will result in less wins than being the higher rated player, it is quite beneficial. Playing tougher opponents will improve your own play.  Try not to play too tough of an opponent though.  If you are 1400, don't play a GM and expect to learn all of their secrets.  Maybe play a 1700, in that case.  Eventually, you can work up to the GM, but it's best to stick to players that are only about 300 points higher, at max. Otherwise, they probably will just beat you too easily to learn from it.
If you are playing in a tournament, and you are within 70 points of a rating cutoff, I suggest playing up in the next section.  Sure, you won't win the money, but you'll learn so much more.