Title: I&#x27;m a software engineer who has struggled massively with performance and presentation anxiety for the past ten years.  This was the result of a presentation gone horribly wrong in my first couple of years in the workplace.  I suffered my first ever panic attack mid-speech and had to flee the room.<p>As a consequence, this issue has been in the back of my mind (and potentially the front of my sub-conscious) ever since.  I&#x27;ve gradually shifted as far away from management positions as possible, and tried to avoid roles at work that would require me to speak or perform in any nature.  I&#x27;m terrified of panic arising mid-speech, turning me into a wreck before any presentations.  This has begun to spill over into social events, parties, networking meetups, or anything else remotely performative in nature.<p>The worst part about this is that I was actually quite a natural speaker prior to this anxiety arising, and was often complimented on my speaking ability.<p>I&#x27;ve tried all sorts of techniques to fix this.  Some work better than others - beta blockers help a lot, as does alcohol.  Obviously, I don&#x27;t want to become overly reliant on booze or anything stronger than propranalol, but sometimes the immediate relief feels necessary.  Exposure therapy like Toastmasters seems to provide big short-term gains, but the effects fade fairly quickly, and if I don&#x27;t do it for a few weeks I&#x27;m back where I started.<p>Please share any suggestions!  I&#x27;d love to hear your own stories.
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