Try changing the signal you put out into the world. If you limit yourself, always making sure you take the minimum of what’s on offer, and this somehow makes you feel safe – take more. People who know you and worry about the way you restrict your life (maybe not friends who do things the same way as you) are unintentionally confirming the feeling you have that something unsafe is going on. Their anxiety suggests uncertainty or risk. Your predicted restrictive behaviour seems like the right one: the way to remain safe when there’s a threat around. Fear surrounds you.

If you ask for more then you might find those same people relax and give you more encouragement, or joy.  At first this feels very weird and wrong. After a time, however, you may start to feel safe. The atmosphere around you corroborates this. There’s no threat.

Life is really not this simple. But it’s worth a try.