I'm a Worried, Worrying Mom!

I never worried like I worry now that I have kids. I just have this heightened sense of anxiety all the time. This cannot be healthy. Am I cursed to feel this way forever? Look! I even worry that worrying too much is hazardous!

I get angry at bad drivers who make stupid maneuvers that endanger our lives. I don't sleep like I used to. My kids sleep through the night, but now I don't. When I hear about a child being abused, getting sick or dying, I cry like he's my own. Sometimes I have to go and hug my kids even if they're sleeping so I can feel better. I can't watch the same kinds of movies or television shows or even commercials that I used to, and I get angry if a story line catches me off-guard. My son is a preschooler and I'm already trying to figure out how to keep him off drugs!

I look at strangers with a lot more suspicion than I used to. I am aware of where all the registered sex offenders are within 10 miles of my house. I worry about myself and my spouse and our health. You wouldn't know it by looking at me, because I want my kids to explore and take risks, but I am really tense when I see them climb something or take off running, especially if they run out of my sight, because I'm not watching what they're doing exactly but imagining what could happen IF …

Does anyone else feel this way? Or is it just me?