Normal level of anxiety or too much?

[Hhhh6]

My son is nearly 18 months. I know it's normal to worry about DC but I'm so worried about something happening to him.

I daydream a lot about situations, often silly, like someone stealing him from his cot upstairs, some stealing his pram from me as we're walking etc etc.

The latest thing is we've booked to go away in the summer abroad. I've never been bothered by flying before but now I'm so scared my son is going to die in a plane crash almost to the point that I don't want to go. Or that when we'll get there someone will kidnap him or something.

It's mainly the plane thing though. I'm not at all concerned for myself but the thought of my little boy dying makes me want to never take him anywhere just in case. I'm keeping a lid on it as best I can and we do go out a lot and do lots of things but I feel it every day.

I don’t think there is a definite line when anxiety is or isn’t “too much”; I think the gauge is how much it is affecting your life. If these are fleeting thoughts that you can shrug off then I wouldn’t say it was a problem. If they’re constantly in your mind and are bringing you down then I’d probably suggest seeking help. And if they’re affecting your life then you definitely need to do something to help.

Sorry you’re feeling this way OP, I don’t think it’s abnormal, especially as your thoughts all appear to be about protecting your little boy. Hopefully there are some resources out there that can help you reframe your thinking.

Perspective on life changes once you have a child that is totally dependent on you and you’ll find yourself worrying all the time. You just need to manage that worry and filter out all the stuff you have no control over and then for the stuff you do have control over, manage it in such a way that still allow them to explore and develop.