“Bee in bonnet.”

My informant mentioned this proverb and explained that they heard it once in the TV show The Berenstain Bears, and since then they have used it religiously. For them, the proverb is used when you are too obsessed and overly worry about something.

This proverb dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries and comes from an actual bee buzzing around inside a hat or bonnet, which then caused agitation and distraction. In the proverb, the “bee” represents a thought or idea that buzzes in our mind (bonnet) distracting us.