I find I seem to find a lot of the times when I play chess I get very nervous or excited and it feels like my brain is in some sort of panic mode? (adrenaline maybe?)
Just play more. You've played 9 games here.
Play a few hundred bullet games then go to longer time controls.
Problem is that a clock ticking away the time can be intimidating. The awareness of a looming shortage of time fogs the brain. It was so bad with me that I eventually gave up Over-the-board chess at my local chess club. Some people just aren't suited to using a clock.
Three days to a move online chess suits me better. I usually reply in one day, but knowing I have three days at the most takes all the pressure away. I play just two games at a time on-line.
This probably wouldn't suit 99% of players.
A lot of BS responses here.
My tip is breathe through your nose and exhale with your mouth. This calms your body. Inhale for three or four seconds, exhale for the same amount of time.
I find doing this about four-five times in a row helps both to relieve pain and negative bodily arousal.
Try some correspondance games or set aside time to play longer matches (30 min+) and test this out.
If your body is intensly activated, you should try a "bodily" solution before exploring cognitive techniques.
EDIT: Remember that these sensations are not dangerous in any way. It might help to simply let yourself feel it, and feel it pass; it will reduce panicky sensations and "fear of fear."
A lot of BS responses here.
My tip is breathe through your nose and exhale with your mouth. This calms your body. Inhale for three or four seconds, exhale for the same amount of time.
It's chess, not a hostage rescue. In long games you could simply stare at the ceiling. In blitz, four seconds could be one or two moves. If you are doign breathing exercises at move 30 it is probably too late.
If your going to do the above (it can't hurt) make sure you are calm before the game.
I still say train your brain to think under time pressure and nothing is more pressure than bullet. Even if it isn't the best chess or isn't chess at all as some would contend. Even if you lose 90% of your games it is still thinking and thinking fast. Do a few hundred of those and you'll have time to nap in 10 minute games.
I would feel my heart almost pounding out of my chest and I would get terrible tactical tunnel vision, leading to missed opportunities and resulting in devastating losses. For my part, I have a pathological hatred of losing, hence my meltdowns in games were something akin to "performance anxiety" where the self-imposed pressure to win was actually causing losses. To fight this, I made a rule where I comitted myself to play exactly 3 live games per day, no more and no less
The heart pounding is a function of anticipation resuting from not having a clear understanding of the position. No one gets that on move one or during a K+Q vs K end game. Study the middle game tactics and understand the required plan.
Performance anxiety? From where we are to even remotely decent is going to be tens of thousands of losses. Get over it. If you need to, practice losing. Lose 100 in a row. Seriously, it helps. It will take about two weeks to get back to 800.
3 games a day? In blitz you're just warming up. Play out the winning streaks but maybe quit after three losses. That alone is probably 200 ELO points.
I noticed the same symptoms in myself a while back. It didn't matter whether the game was OTB or online. Didn't even matter whether the game was rated or friendly. I would feel my heart almost pounding out of my chest and I would get terrible tactical tunnel vision, leading to missed opportunities and resulting in devastating losses. For my part, I have a pathological hatred of losing, hence my meltdowns in games were something akin to "performance anxiety" where the self-imposed pressure to win was actually causing losses. To fight this, I made a rule where I comitted myself to play exactly 3 live games per day, no more and no less, regardless of the resulting wins losses or draws. This helped me to learn self-control and to avoid playing "on tilt" as the poker players say. Another helpful piece of advice was given to me by a master, and that was to look at goals for the long term. We have to remember that the road to improvement is eternal, and we should not be content to reach a personal peak and then spend the rest of our lives guarding that score. We must have the attitude that each individual game is not about winning or losing, but about learning. And if you can learn something from every game, you will be a real winner. So those are some things that helped me personally to calm down during my games. I hope they can be of help to you as well.