I have a lot of fear about speaking in meetings and presentations. My heart races quite a bit when I need to give my opinion in front of my colleagues and I get heat in my face. It's affecting my professional performance.
Don't just try to "take a deep breath" and pretend it goes away, because that doesn't solve the real problem. What actually helps is starting small: say something in smaller meetings, question a detail in the project, ask for clarification on something - start with low-risk stuff so your brain gets used to the idea that you're not going to die there.
I went through this and realized that the more you avoid it, the worse the anxiety gets next time. So it's also worth thinking about whether you're afraid of your coworkers' judgment or if it's really the presentation moment itself. One thing that works is preparing a lot of what you're going to say (not memorizing it, but really knowing the subject), because then that panic of "what if I don't know how to answer?" goes down. If it keeps being too much, talk to a therapist - it's not weakness, it's an actual investment.
Social anxiety at work usually gets worse when you try to control just the physical symptom - the racing heart, the heat - without dealing with what's underneath. That ends up creating extra pressure to "seem normal" during the meeting. What works better is gradually increasing your exposure: start by commenting something small and straightforward (like "I agree with point X") in meetings where you feel a bit more comfortable, then expand as it becomes less scary. If it keeps being intense, consider seeing a professional, because chronic social anxiety at work is exactly the kind of thing therapy can work well with - it's not weakness, it's just your body's physiology reacting to stress.
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