Now 3 years ago, before I joined this forum, I probably never would have had those thoughts. So is my new found heightened awareness and attendant anxieties good or bad?
Awareness isn't bad but it could be if you let it make you anxious. If you find yourself without your "gear" (whatever that means to you) I think the best thing to do is to figure out how you would cope with the most likely situations that could present themselves.
Admitting that your dependent on your gear is the first step. Knowing how to overcome that dependency is the second step.