[ketzo]

Yeah, seriously. A friend and I in college were talking about how we handle our pre-presentation nerves, and I was suggesting she should try deep breaths, counting to ten, etc.; meanwhile, she would routinely go into full-body fight-or-flight mode, panic attacks, barely able to speak.

Yeah... "count to ten" is probably insufficient for that! Her body needed more help managing her chemical response to stress. Same thing for her -- beta blockers (propranolol too, actually) were a complete life change.

Just to hit it on the head for anyone reading: everyone has anxiety, it's a normal part of life. If you find yourself physically incapacitated by anxiety on a regular basis, that's not something everyone deals with, and you can absolutely seek the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist!