nervousness and self-consciousness at live table

[dmochow]

Hello,
This may seem like a bizarre post -- I learned to play poker online and have a good grasp of the probabilistic nature of the game through reading Sklansky's and Harrington's books. I do quite well at online games and in small home games.

However, when I play at a large casino tournament, I become so nervous and self-conscious when the action is on me that it seriously hinders my play: I tighten up and don't take the time to think through each decision. My decisions are often rushed, and afterwards, I often realize that I played the hand wrong: I simply can't settle down my emotions and focus on the hand.

My questions are:
1) Have any of you had encountered such "nervousness" problems at live tournaments, and if so,
2) Does it get easier with experience?

If you have any tips on how to overcome these problems and acquire some kind of poker "zen", *please* post.

Thanks,
Jacek