I worry constantly about the safety of my grown-up daughters | Dear Mariella

The dangers women face make your anxiety understandable, says Mariella Frostrup. However, you must - as we all must - keep worries to a minimum in order to live life

The dilemma I have four lovely children, all now adults and left home. I rarely worry about my sons, but I constantly, constantly fret about my daughters, who both live in shared houses in distant cities.

They are very good about keeping in touch, and sympathetic to my anxiety, but it is reaching unmanageable proportions. For example, if I look at WhatsApp, I might see that one daughter was on it, say, 30 minutes ago, but the other hasn't been on it all day. I will then look to see when they were last active on Facebook. If she hasn't been active on Facebook either, I will telephone her.