Performance Anxiety
I've struggled with this before. It's better now. So, what helped me?
Well, I got tired of FEELING THAT WAY!! I knew something had to CHANGE. Either I needed to stop performing because it caused so much STRESS or I needed to change how I FELT while I was performing and BEFORE I was performing...(because sometimes the pre-show jitters can cause a paralysis of sorts).
What didn't help was that my band mates were more anxious than I was. But somehow, the show went on and we did okay. 2 of our band members felt the need to drink before a performance, but I never did that.
Now then, how did I change my anxiety? I just adopted this attitude of PRETENDING I was just pickin' and singin' at a jam session or an informal setting in front of family and friends. I also sometimes pretended I was just playing in my bedroom alone with no one there except me and God. I told all my band mates that they needed to stop being so anxious and "Let's just pretend that when we get up on stage we are simply sittin' around making music together."
Try this when you have to get up and speak.
Maybe pretend that you are just talking to God. Or, pretend that you are just having a conversation with a few friends or family members. NO PRESSURE!!
Tell yourself there is NO PRESSURE.
Hope some of this helps. Take what you need and leave the rest, it's cool.