Editor's Note: Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you' Are you beset by existential worries' Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles readers' questions. Tell him about your lifelong or in-the-moment problems at dearjames@theatlantic.com. I have stage fright. I've had it since I was a little kid trying to perform at elementary-school talent shows. But the problem has persisted into adulthood, what with its occasional PowerPoint presentations and wedding speeches. I would generally say I'm a confident guy, and I'm comfortable in one-on-one settings'even high-stakes ones, like job interviews. But put me in front of an audience, or on the spot to answer a question in a meeting, and that's when my biology betrays me: heart bumping, fluttering in my gut, dryness in my mouth, dampness in my palms. In an instant, I become hyperaware of my body, and I can't think straight. Hijacked by the reptilian: I spend half my life in that state. Really a fascinating aspect of the human...
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