Honestly I often just take my Carolla if I am uncertain about an area I'm going to, or if I don't know if I'd be able to find parking that is suitable (too much criteria to meet for me to feel that my car is truly 'safe' there, but I at least try to find a spot that meets most of them - I like walking, so that is never the concern to me). I'm lucky that I at least have that option, but even given that, it is often stressful when I take out my FR-S. I also feel like I get stuck in the most BS situation while driving my FR-S - eg some lifted truck with huge wheel poke, or a bunch of garbage thrown in the back of the bed cuts me off and I'm stuck behind them unable to merge, or waiting to take my exit and I can't get away from them. The worst rock chip that I had touched up (but it still shows) happened to me just as I was exiting the freeway intentionally to get off of the freeway and take the back roads even though it was less gas efficient...so I could avoid rock chips. That was devastating (and left a dent that I had to get removed).
The only door ding I have on my car right now is from the single time I ever parked normally in a parking lot (usually I go for street parking, or I hunt down an edge spot and put my car right up near the curb so that there is an extra three or four feet between my car and the white line) was in a vacant lot except for one other car when I ran into a small restaurant to pick up a to-go order that I had called in. I think I was literally there for
maybe a minute and a half, and when I came out I saw a teenaged Asian girl walking away from her car that she had parked right next to me (on my passenger side no less - if she at least had parked on the other side she wouldn't have had to open her door into my car). I think I was staring at her with my mouth slightly opened completely befuddled that she had parked next to me (and even on that side of my car) in a completely vacant lot in the time it took me to dash inside and back out. She just glared at me, and I couldn't see the ding at the time in the lighting, but I later noticed it in direct lighting and now it just sticks out like a sore thumb to me
I go out of my way to avoid touching, or damaging cars - even really gross ones that park really terribly next to me (in my Carolla) eg over the line and partly in my spot, etc. I don't understand how people can blatantly open their door fully into another car - especially when there is no reason to open the door that wide. It really is amazing to me how completely careless and stupid so much of the population is; it's down-right depressing.
I think it gets a bit easier the longer you've owned the car - you'll relax a bit, and be more rational about parking it (I still am extremely selective about where I park, but when I first got the car I would literally turn around and start walking back to the car (sometimes two or three times) if I saw someone approaching it that was just passing by).
But anyway, to make a long story short - yes, the struggle is real.