I don't know if your anxiety has the same source as mine, but to speak from my experience in case it helps....

The earliest stories my family tells of me is of pulling me out from under tables, sinks, and stairwells. Out from behind doors and reclining chairs. Out of any small space I could find to crawl into. They tell the stories as something funny, but I actually remember many of those times, even though I was so young I hadn't even started school yet. I crawled into those small spaces because no one else was small enough to get in with me. I just wanted to be alone.

I've spent my life cultivating a life environment that allows me that solitude in much bigger more beautiful spaces, but same idea. Why? Because whenever I'm around others I'm such a strong empath that I pick up all THEIR anxiety! The thing is, they're so adjusted to that tense, aggressive feeling that they don't consider it anxiety. It's just being alert to them.

To me, the vibe of the forest or ocean is what I call normal. That's what health feels like, and anything else my entire body rebels. It won't play along. It won't pretend this sick society is normal.

Now there are some good things about this extra receptivity once one learns to interpret their constant "channeling" of those around them. For one thing, I was an amazing psychotherapist! I could correct a misdiagnosis quite reliably, because I felt what the client was feeling and knew how to interpret my own experience accurately. I also had learned by then how to tell the difference between my experience and someone else's that I was merely experiencing. It sounds like you still need to learn that.

But there is so much good to it. There was even a period of a few weeks once when I could heal people just by looking at them, that's how deep my compassion was, while still being firmly grounded in a fundamental truth of perfection (everyone's perfection).

All the chemical coping mechanisms, hey, if you have to in order to get through the day. It became very important to me at one point to remove any and all chemical coping devices, including caffeine, marijuana, and other "natural" remedies. I was determined to develop the capacity to work with my energy from a spiritual perspective. That has worked, but it is still important for me to live apart from other humans and surrounded by nature, so some might say it hasn't worked, if one thinks such a life isn't good. Personally, I'm quite happy.

I think over time you'll balance out the different factors in your life so that you are able to have the necessary resilience for meeting all that extra information you're picking up on that quite frankly doesn't all feel good. It's for you to decide what that balance is that's a happy one for you.