Sudden BAD stage fright, how to get over it?

I’ve done countless of class presentations and I do monthly new hire orientations so public speaking was never an issue for me. I’ve also gotten an A in my speech class several years ago. Yesterday I had horrible nerves for the first time! This was just a practice marketing research presentation for my MBA class and for whatever reason I felt so sick.

My heart was racing and pounding to over 100 bpm, my hands were sweaty, my legs started shaking and when it came to my part within my group I just froze…and this was just a PRACTICE presentation! I felt like I wanted to throw up and pass out, this has never happened to me before.

I think it is because this is an accelerated course where we have final papers, final tests, final presentations, and re-edits, writing my Maid/Matron of Honor speech, all in one week and on top of that I have a wedding I am in. Maybe it’s the pressure? I could NOT understand why I felt this way on THIS presentation. We did only have one day to prepare for the practice run but I repeated it over in my head to know what I was going to say and I just complete FROZE and started stuttering, this wasn’t like me!!!

It didn’t help that she made us write notes to eachother on speaking. Of course I received several notes to be more confident…but I usually am. So I don’t know what happened and I fear that for my final I’ll bomb it. How do I calm my nerves standing there with my heart racing and pounding? I seriously felt like passing out. I tried to calm my mind but nothing was working…