I’m naturally an anxious person, but in the main, I’m able to keep my anxiety under control. I’m married with one son who is 25. He moved away from home last year and bought his own flat. He has a good job and my husband and I are proud of him. He’s mildly dyslexic and despite that, has obtained both a degree and Masters degree, so he’s doing well.
However, I suffer an almost crippling anxiety about his wellbeing on an almost daily basis now that he no longer lives at home. The way this has most recently manifested itself is that I haven’t heard from him all day (and by ‘heard’ it could be something really trivial such as perhaps he’s liked a message, or similar) then I get so anxious that I have an overwhelming urge to phone him. My husband jokes that I’m after some ‘proof of life’ and he’s right, of course, in a basic way. I try to reason my way out of doing so but in the end I almost always end up phoning him just to say hello and make sure he’s alright. It’s overwhelming and I can’t seem to stop worrying. If he doesn’t answer, I catastrophise and phone again a bit later. Afterwards I feel absolutely awful. I know that it was ridiculous to be panicky and I loathe myself for giving in to the urge to call.
I know I need to speak to someone about this. I know it risks ruining my relationship with my son if I don’t. But I do not know where to start. I’ve been to see my GP who sent me packing with the words ‘oh you are just an anxious person’. I am an anxious person, I accept that, but in this specific aspect I feel it is beyond acceptable and I need some strategies to sort myself out. I am a reasonably well paid professional so I can pay for advice, but I don’t really know where to look for it, or what to look for.