Can I tell the difference between symptoms you can ignore & events you interpret as real causing an episode?

It's safer to walk your dog at night with less people and you're disguised by the darkness but you still feel on edge.

Every car that passes has the person inside looking at you. You feel harassed by people's stares. You feel like you walk with a constant spotlight on you.

You try to ignore this feeling especially in public but you don't know how long before it reaches a breaking point. You don't want to attract attention to yourself. You've confronted people in public before who you thought were following you and it was all in your head.

Its hard to tell whether you're experiencing normal daily symptoms or whether you're going to have an episode. It sometimes feels like the second one. How does I know if you're able to ignore it or whether you'll believe its happening for real and act accordingly.