is this normal: nearly 2.5 year old boy saying he likes hurting himself?

[pinacoladaonthebeach]

have had a couple of incidents with ds1 recently - one where he held his breath with grandma and one where he says he wanted to 'break down' and 'break himself' because he 'doesn't like himself' - which have really made me worry that he is is unhappy.

he is normally very happy, always very boisterous & cheeky, recently quite naughty esp since ds2 came along 4 months ago.

he is also bright and good with language so could be as dh says just using language he doesn't really understand.

i'm finding it difficlut to know how to discipline him and now worried that if i do he is going to react by trying to hurt himself... reading this it sounds awful, is it normal or have i psycologically disturbed him already?

Breath holding and head banging etc are considered fairly usual in toddlers. It does sound lke he's going through a bit of a tough time, probably linked to recent upheavals in his life.
You haven't damaged him in any way, having a sibling is wicked but tough to adjust to.

I wouldn't change the way you are with him dramatically but maybe try to keep in mind his needs as well as his behaviour. So if he behaves inappropriately tell him it is inappropriate for whatever reason but do it gently remebering he is going through some difficult times.

Tbh I think the key is to be loving, gentle and ocnsistent while he works out the world hasn't changed too much.