Does anyone else feel a need to constantly explain and justify yourself?

I've noticed that one of my biggest triggers is feeling a need to defend myself. This obviously results from incessant abuse, neglect, and gaslighting throughout childhood and feeling unheard. I often take things way too personally because I am functioning in survival mode. Hypervigilance was my coping mechanism for a long time, and now I don't know how to calm my nervous system down. Even simple questions will lead me to a fear of being attacked, questioned, or mocked. I often feel like I need to explain everything about my life to other people and defend myself. It's exhausting to be on edge all the time and always feel like I owe people justifications.

Anyone else deal with this? Suggestions on how to cope with this better?