Heightened Awareness in Apartment Living

It's not easy when you can't feel safe in your own space. I know that my brain is just trying to keep me safe, but it's not always helpful 😅

I have heightened awareness of everything. My body. My stress. My emotions. Other people’s feelings. The amount of men in the room. It is like ocd destroys me

I'll have to try some of those tips. My husband will get home and if I have my pepper spray, taser, or a kitchen knife next to me, he knows that the neighbors made me nervous.

Ohmygoodness I do this exact same thing! You explained it perfectly. I just end up talking to myself. When I tell myself out loud that the doors have locks and no one else is there then it helps it feel more real for me. On the days where talking to myself doesn't help, I work through different plans of how to react if there was someone, so then I feel more prepared and confident about any of the wacky possibilities that my mind makes up. I also like to turn on music regularly, so then I don't hear my neighbors as much.