Phone anxiety? - Page 2

[TushasAmi]

Originally Posted by JesseMomme

Wow, thanks! I've never been "hugged" before and that was really nice!

[Peacemamalove]

I am glad to know I am not the only one!!!! At times I think it woul dbe awesome to never even have a phone!

[momtoNatalee]

Originally Posted by zahirakids

I am glad to know I am not the only one!!!! At times I think it woul dbe awesome to never even have a phone!

that

I am glad I found this thread!

[Aguazul]

Jesse, thank you for telling me about Rescue Remedy. I went ahead and ordered some from Frontier. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

[JesseMomme]

Originally Posted by Aguazul

Jesse, thank you for telling me about Rescue Remedy. I went ahead and ordered some from Frontier. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

I'm so glad I thought of it, I hope it helps.

[savannah smiles]

Originally Posted by LionTigerBear

I have no problem answering the phone, but making phone calls-- to anyone except my dh basically -- --scares me to bits.

This.

Like others, I will take a loooong time to actually make a phone call and I'm always painfully relieved if I get a machine and can just leave a message.

[Aguazul]

Originally Posted by savannah smiles

This.

Like others, I will take a loooong time to actually make a phone call and I'm always painfully relieved if I get a machine and can just leave a message.

Oh my gosh...I love answering machines!!!! I love it when I can just leave a message with whatever information I need and wait for them to get back with me. And even more, I LOVE email!!!!!!

[JesseMomme]

Originally Posted by Aguazul

Oh my gosh...I love answering machines!!!! I love it when I can just leave a message with whatever information I need and wait for them to get back with me. And even more, I LOVE email!!!!!!

Yep and yep. I have no problem writing an email about anything, even sticky issues, to people (like my former landlords), but gawd get me on the phone with them and I'd lose my backbone completely.

[Unreal]

Originally Posted by Aguazul

Oh my gosh...I love answering machines!!!! I love it when I can just leave a message with whatever information I need and wait for them to get back with me. And even more, I LOVE email!!!!!!

:

except that I hate when I stammer as I leave messages

[JesseMomme]

Originally Posted by Unreal

:

except that I hate when I stammer as I leave messages

Uhhhh I don't ummmmm know anything about ummmm that one.

[DreamsInDigital]

I totally have phone anxiety, but only about outgoing calls. Incoming calls I'm fine. I worked in a call center for two years and was fine answering the phone but if I ever had to call anyone back I would always try to get out of it.
I can't call to order pizza and was SO happy when Pizza Hut started having internet ordering.
I also have major anxiety being a passenger in a car, as well as airplane anxiety and have not been able to get myself on a plane since 2000.

[JesseMomme]

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital

I totally have phone anxiety, but only about outgoing calls. Incoming calls I'm fine. I worked in a call center for two years and was fine answering the phone but if I ever had to call anyone back I would always try to get out of it.
I can't call to order pizza and was SO happy when Pizza Hut started having internet ordering.
I also have major anxiety being a passenger in a car, as well as airplane anxiety and have not been able to get myself on a plane since 2000.

I haven't been on a plane since I was 4 years old but I'd been anti-flying for years and dont' think I could have handled it at all after having kids.

I also started having major anxiety being a passenger in a car when ds1 was a few months old. It was when I first realized there was something "wrong" with me. I dreaded having to go anywhere further than the store down the street. I became a "backseat driver" and drove Dh crazy, and he's a pretty excellent driver.

I'm finally ok enough to get into a car with Dh driving without dreading it or thinking too much about it anymore...this only abated a year or so ago. But when I get into the passenger seat with anyone else driving, I do start to feel nervous, but nothing like the blinding fear that I used to feel.

I also don't like ordering delivery and when I make a phone call and it's an automated system I heave a sigh of relief...even though I'm not fond of the push one push five malarky.

I'm actually pretty amazed at how common this is. And today I figured out that my BIL who lives with me has this problem too..he'd been really good at hiding it...so well that even I, miss phone anxiety queen, hadn't recognized it! :

[karlin]

Me too. I am glad I'm not the only one! :

I really don't mind answering the phone, but I really don't like making phone calls. I try to make DH do it, but sometimes it has to be me. I'm getting better about it, but it still paralyzes me sometimes. Several years ago I was a yoga instructor looking for work (before DS). I needed to call around to the local gyms to see if they needed anyone to teach. I had to have 2 glasses of wine and then force myself to make the calls. I did it, and got 2 jobs out of it.

We are moving in 3 weeks, and I need to make quite a few calls about address changes and whatnot. I'm not looking forward to it. Fortunately, there's quite a few I can change on the internet. Email is my friend!!!

My DH thinks I'm really strange since I'd rather drive all the way to a store to see if they have a product in stock than to call them and ask.

[pianojazzgirl]

Originally Posted by GoodUserNamesTaken

Oh my gosh, me too, me too... !!!!

Except, I don't pick up even when it's family, most of the time. Usually, I let people leave a message. Then, I check, see who it is and what they want, and call back then. Or not... lol

I hate being on the phone, and I hate making phone calls.

This is me exactly!!! I don't EVER answer the phone and I even dread calling friends. Calling any kind of business (dr, government agency, etc) puts me into an absolute panic and I take all day to work up to it.

Dh doesn't understand at all and is very frustrated by it. He thinks I'm just lazy or something (putting off phone calls). He can't wrap his head around the anxiety that I feel and is not at all sympathetic.

I'm happy that I'm not the only one!

And I'm going to check out the rescue remedy too!

[Tobeborn]

Oh am so glad to find this, I have the worst phone anxiety. Sometimes I can make calls with little or no anxiety, but most of the time, I put them off as long as I can, or ask my dh to make the call, if he can. It's hard to even call friends, I usually just hope that the answering machine picks up. I have issues with anxiety in general, but with the phone, especially if it's a business, I just feel like I'm going to say something really stupid, or just come off as an idiot...

I never thought about rescue remedy, I think we have some around here somewhere, I will give it a try!

[kayjayjay]

Wow, this is a really interesting thread! I too thought I was the only one who had this problem. I don't like answering the phone, but I can do it, it's really making outgoing calls that makes me lock up. DH laughs at me, because I'd rather drive accross town to talk to someone in person than call them on the phone.

Does anyone here carry a cell phone? I may be the last person on the planet that doesn't own one, just wondering.

Anyone here ever tried to analyze what makes them like this? I wonder if it's just a personality thing or if something made me this way. I've gone back over my childhood trying to pinpoint the event that made me afraid to call people, but I can't remember anything. I'm not a generally anxious person, but I am very introverted.

[Unreal]

no cell phone here.

we have one, but it stays in the car or with dh

as a teen, I was GLUED to the phone.

oh yeah

and....my job?
I'm director of sales and marketing
bwhahahahahahahahahhahah

I have to talk on the phone ALL friggin day

I should just buy stock in rescue remedy...I really should.

we're out now, and I'm freaking over all the calls I have to make to set up a conference

[JesseMomme]

Originally Posted by kayjayjay

Does anyone here carry a cell phone? I may be the last person on the planet that doesn't own one, just wondering.

Anyone here ever tried to analyze what makes them like this? I wonder if it's just a personality thing or if something made me this way. I've gone back over my childhood trying to pinpoint the event that made me afraid to call people, but I can't remember anything. I'm not a generally anxious person, but I am very introverted.

Well I myself am more of a reserved person and introverted and I'm happiest at home, unless it's a movie theater or dinner out with Dh or close friend - something that doesn't require much interaction with the outside world most of the time. I don't think I'm agoraphobic though.

I can't pinpoint an exact experience or anything involving a phone conversation, but it seemed to get pretty bad during my last pregnancy, especially dealing with one particularly mean debt collector. So...I'll blame the bill collectors

Originally Posted by Unreal

no cell phone here.

we have one, but it stays in the car or with dh

as a teen, I was GLUED to the phone.

oh yeah

and....my job?
I'm director of sales and marketing
bwhahahahahahahahahhahah

I have to talk on the phone ALL friggin day *

I should just buy stock in rescue remedy...I really should.

we're out now, and I'm freaking over all the calls I have to make to set up a conference

*
Is that the real definition of irony?

you can do this...I did it this morning. Ok I only had one call to make this morning and you have several...you can do this Maybe you already did

I also was glued to the phone as a teenager, too...weird. Or rather, pretty universal

No cell phone here, and totally content with that.

[neveryoumindthere]

i'm here too..never thought of it as a 'problem'..but um , ya..i HATE making calls, i stutter, lose my train of thought..leave off making appts for months

anyway i'm here too *hi*

[Groovy Mom]

I have anxiety issues, and sometimes I wonder how they manifest (in ways I don't know).

Ever since I had the twins, though, I'm not much of a phone person. There's just always something going on at the house and phone chats are rarely convenient. For a while there, I don't think I was on the phone much at all.

Totally can empathize with what you're saying, though. Best remedy for phone anxiety is not to balk from it but use it. I was put in a couple situations where I HAD to use the phone and do some cold-calling (which I LOATHE), but after doing a couple it a few times, it wasn't so bad. Well. It was bad, still is, heh. Doesn't mean I like it, but I had the satisfaction of knowing I can accomplish it.

Wish you the best.