Synonyms:
- Wound tight as a coiled spring
- Braced for the worst
- Nerve-shredded beyond all reason
- Operating on pure cortisol
- Paralyzed by high-stakes uncertainty
- Strung out like a tightrope in a hurricane
- Quivering with suppressed dread
- Ready to dive either way and probably get it wrong
- Holding breath until something snaps
- Jaw clenched to the point of structural concern