English Idiom: Get cold feet
Have you ever gotten cold feet? I mean have you ever been afraid to do something that you had planned to do?
People experience fear before jumping off a diving board for the first time, getting married (not necessarily for the first time) or giving a presentation in front of a live audience.
That’s what happens when you get cold feet; you are afraid to do something that you at first wanted to do.
It’s entirely reasonable to experience anxiety or trepidation before doing something in front of a large number of people. Generally speaking, the more you do it, the easier it gets; it’s like riding a bicycle.
It’s easy for me to say it, but you have to push through the fear, overcome the anxiety and conquer the trepidation by not thinking about what could happen but what you will do.
I think people usually experience fear out of a feeling of being powerless.
When you give a speech, for example, you are in control; you have the power. The audience is waiting for you to speak. You can control what you say and how you say it.
From my own experience the best way to get over cold feet is to wear a warm pair of socks (English teacher humour), take a deep breath and do what you have to do.