Should I be stressed about asking for an Academic Reference?
If the person who you're asking for a letter of reference knows you well enough to write a good letter of recommendation, you don't really need to be worried about the formality of the request. You should be able to ask: "I would like to talk to you about writing a letter of recommendation for me. Could we set an appointment?" or something similar to that, and it should be fine.

Remember: writing letters of recommendation is one of the responsibilities of faculty members (and other instructors)!