I've been thinking recently about the difference between anxiety and restlessness. I know what anxiety is and what it feels like in my mind and in my body.
I am sometimes surprised when it appears, and I don't always take care of myself as quickly as I should when it visits. I used to think that restlessness and anxiety were basically the same thing, but recently I've come to believe that whereas anxiety (for me) is a response to something going on in my environment and my life, restlessness is more of a felt sense that I need to do something, take some sort of action, reach for more of something.
Does that make sense to you? Neither anxiety nor restlessness are inherently negative; they are just different indicators for me.
Anxiety says to me, "Pay attention and practice whatever it takes to regulate this"; restlessness says, "You can go for more of whatever you want. Just do it mindfully." I may take the rest of my life to figure out how to recognize and respond to my many conditions and feelings.
And that's perfectly okay.