Butterflies before the big moment just mean you care. Indifferent people don’t get nervous.

Nerves track investment. You do not get that fluttery feeling about things you are neutral on, so its presence is evidence that what is in front of you matters to you. Wanting it gone is really wanting to care less, which would cost more than the discomfort does. Most people who perform well feel it every time and have stopped reading it as a warning.

Rather than trying to calm down entirely, aim for useful rather than comfortable. Get there early, do something with your hands, and let the feeling sit without arguing with it.