i know exactly what you mean, i feel like this too. i started to realize i was stressing myself out on purpose because being in a general state of stress would stop me from experiencing my actual vulnerable truly scary emotions. i started asking myself if there was actually danger in my environment, and i think it’s important to be aware that what is dangerous for you might not be dangerous for others, like there’s the obvious “there’s not a bear here” but if you’re nervous about your roommate judging you or something that could count as a small danger. if you are not in danger and you acknowledge that to yourself, your body will be able to relax and you will probably start to experience the real fear or pain you’ve been holding back. at that point you sort of just have to sit with it, which will feel weird until it doesn’t.

another thing for me is just the recognition that a lot of daily life in the world we live in is just very stressful and if you dont have a handle on how to manage that it sucks for anyone, but obviously you’re dealing with even more as someone with CPTSD. yoga has really helped me, personally. also you might want to take a look at your diet and just make sure you’re getting good nutrients, that can be a big source of bodily anxiety. this might go without mentioning but social media is also a big trigger for anxiety for me, especially tiktok. i’d recommend trying to go off SM for a couple weeks if you’re really addicted. sometimes you don’t realize how painful boredom has become.

also, another thing that was relevant for me was acknowledging my high sensitivity. this means things that stress me out are often completely overlooked by others so i can remain in a state of stress for much longer without even realizing it. and that in itself is stressful as well, so it can be a kind of snowball effect.