I have been competing in my sport for well over half my life. Hundreds of divisions and levels, from local to national…

And I STILL feel like I’m dying the morning of the competition every time.
No matter how much self talk and mental prep and affirming thoughts, my  heart starts racing, I can’t eat, my stomach churns, I spend half the morning in the bathroom. EVERY TIME. 

After ~ten years of this, why can’t I make that feeling go away? Even if it’s just a no stakes competition for fun, the thought of people watching and judging my performance is nauseating. I get this dread in my stomach. :(