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Can anyone give me advice on how to minimize adrenaline rushes and panic attacks while in a tournament im new to the USCF and the games are much different then the usual park play so any advise would be appreciated for this newbie lol thank you chess brothers and sisters

The only thing that works for me is to keep reminding myself that chess is just a stupid, silly game.

Chess is just a stupid, silly game/sport/whocareswhatitis/stopyourstupidtrolling. 

Meditation

GM Jamieson has good advice for managing adrenalin rushes & c.  Sit on your hands!!!!!!

may sound silly but breath in slowly through your nose and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Fill your lungs, focus on the basics, you'll do fine. hope it helps

hi

 hi

You need to train for tournaments. They are totally different than regular chess with friends.

My advise is to play games in similar settings as tournaments, this is with a clock and a paper where you write down every move. Also be familiar with the formalities of a tournament game.

Also escalate your goals. So don't expect to win the first tournament, but for example set as a target to be on the top 10 or top 20... depending how many people is playing.

I feel kinda sorry for that man in #7. He either looks under severe stress or he's gonna make a fish face w/ his hands.

I think this is a great question. Competing can be stressful, and can trigger the "fight or flight" mechanism. I'm also a bit prone to getting stressed out. The way I handle it is to take all the pressure off by playing in a different way. I play to learn. I also play the board, not my opponent. I seek to give nothing away. I play poker.

The advantages are many. Nasty opponents are just a mild nuisance, not the end of the world. A loss just means that I now have something interesting to discover during the post mortem. My theory is that if I truly learn, the wins will come as a matter of course. There is no reason why I can't enjoy the whole experience, win, lose, or draw. The tournament entry free is always the price of a chess lesson to me.

I'm absolutely convinced that OldChessDog's idea is the best approach. Another way to look at it is, during the game, look at every position as simply a puzzle - Try to find the best move in the time allotted to you. You don't have to worry about your opponent's rating or any other factors; You're just solving a little puzzle at each move.

I also agree that you should look at your games as chances to fill in your knowledge gaps, and the rating will naturally follow.

wow i truly thank you guys so much ive been given advice that ranges from chewing gum to taking a walk and just looking at the game for what it is the comment of no caffeineis a great help and i am truly thankful for you guys i hope to bring something to wonderful to this game we all love including the USCF i am truly excited about this sport it has been a beutiful addition to my life i thank you wonderful people for taking the time out to helping me with what ive come to see is a normal disorder and hopefully i can one day get it completely under conctrol because i have sat accross the table from a fellow plalyer and almost felt like david banner in transformation stage lol im talking complete HULLLLLLLLLK so thanks guys especially mr olchessdog your insite was truly great