how does one feel anxiety?

raspberrypie said:

i feel i always am wary of danger, very careful about protection against theft, worry over activities and events so much that i just have written them out of my life

Technically, being wary of danger is not a bad thing, but it does sound like it's crippling for lack of significant specifics on how to reposition yourself - how to take matters of being responsible for the self into your own hands. Proper strategic and reliable defence. 

What can you fix and what can you not?

It's important to prioritise. Assess what you're trying to control that's not yours to control (how another behaves for ex.) and what you can be 100% responsible for (keeping my keys in a specific location for a fast exit, putting my glasses back in their case so they don't break even if I have to get out of this cozy bed and go upstairs). Make contractual arrangements with yourself. 

With the newspaper actually printing the phrase "Nuclear Winter", I suddenly start making plans to learn more about foraging and work out if I can buy a cottage on Shetland. And then make tea, float back to the present and just get on with my day noting that I can send a few quid to Ukraine and send a letter to my representative. 

Doing an Action - Taking Practical Responsibility toward and for myself has proven to be (over the last 15 years since starting) the Number One Fix of anxiety. Whether it has been making an exact plan for exiting a bad relationship or taking a probiotic daily or learning how to assess if someone is putting up a healthy boundary or being abusive (they can appear the same oddly). The moment I engage in the action, the anxiety is gone.

Except in one remarkable situation and that's when I'm hyper calculating late at night Something In Production - some technical/creative endeavour which is triggering on repeat 'Excitement' and that is the same trigger, just the other side of the coin to 'Anxiety'. Unfortunately they cause the same chemical response in the brain and I have to micro-dose on an anti-anxiety drug to shut it down. Essentially it's Thought Stimming.

raspberrypie said:

i feel i always am wary of danger, very careful about protection against theft, worry over activities and events so much that i just have written them out of my life

Technically, being wary of danger is not a bad thing, but it does sound like it's crippling for lack of significant specifics on how to reposition yourself - how to take matters of being responsible for the self into your own hands. Proper strategic and reliable defence. 

What can you fix and what can you not?

It's important to prioritise. Assess what you're trying to control that's not yours to control (how another behaves for ex.) and what you can be 100% responsible for (keeping my keys in a specific location for a fast exit, putting my glasses back in their case so they don't break even if I have to get out of this cozy bed and go upstairs). Make contractual arrangements with yourself. 

With the newspaper actually printing the phrase "Nuclear Winter", I suddenly start making plans to learn more about foraging and work out if I can buy a cottage on Shetland. And then make tea, float back to the present and just get on with my day noting that I can send a few quid to Ukraine and send a letter to my representative. 

Doing an Action - Taking Practical Responsibility toward and for myself has proven to be (over the last 15 years since starting) the Number One Fix of anxiety. Whether it has been making an exact plan for exiting a bad relationship or taking a probiotic daily or learning how to assess if someone is putting up a healthy boundary or being abusive (they can appear the same oddly). The moment I engage in the action, the anxiety is gone.

Except in one remarkable situation and that's when I'm hyper calculating late at night Something In Production - some technical/creative endeavour which is triggering on repeat 'Excitement' and that is the same trigger, just the other side of the coin to 'Anxiety'. Unfortunately they cause the same chemical response in the brain and I have to micro-dose on an anti-anxiety drug to shut it down. Essentially it's Thought Stimming.

i have had a lot of trouble with my vehicle, which has been vandalized about 5 times in the space of a year - to the cost of my deductible, which was $1000 per incident..  i'm traumatized by that, maybe, but i decreased the deductible to $250, which was doable. so, yeah, taking action... also, talking to other people, who've witnessed similar thefts and breakins, etc --- actually is sort of calming. i realize it's happening all over... not just in my hood.

unclear what i'll do about this situation... the whole van thing has been difficult for me, made much much worse by the vandalisms....  i guess i'm still trying to figure out how much my van stresses me out.... i no it does, but i'm trying to take day trips in it. so far --- that has been kind of scarey. trying to figure it out...... 

ty for the advice. yes, i notice my anxiety goes away when i get involved in a task - it's just hard because when i'm anxious like this, it's just hard to focus on anything. i just go numb.  i guess i'm paying attention to doing simple things these past few days - cooking, cleaning, exercise, and trying to kind of stay on top of things that i need to... but avoid the big anxiety producing stressors....  

i avoid the news. i may try to send something for ukraine... that is so awful....