Phone Phobia

[Jellyfish]

Partially just want to know that I'm not the only person who shys away from the phone... I'm fine with calls to family or friends, although distant relatives can sometimes spark a little anxiety but I am TERRIBLE with calling to make enquiries or book appointments etc. Suddenly, I am bombarded with situations where I have had to be on the phone... a lot - prengnacy; booking appointments for Ob, booking into the hospital, organising ultrasounds and blood tests... I recently had my circumstances change so Centrelink and Child Support calls... my daughter going through the process of being diagnosed with a speech issue so organising the GP, then hearing tests, then speech pathology as well as having to then call back the GP to arrange the proper referal... I couldn't find my Private Health Insurance card so had to call them to sort out being sent a new one... starting to enquire about schools etc for DD so bunch of calling there... at any rate it is becomming clear to me that this is something I will need to get used to!

Ahhh does anyone else freak out a little about phone calls or am I the only weirdo? I always get flustered and forget what I am trying to say... I definitely feel like a fake adult most days but being on the phone amplifies that haha. I've been very brave and made the 3 phone calls I needed to today but any tips for people (okay, so me) who seem to be terrible on the phone? I do try to write everything down beforehand so it is right in front of me, making sure any important information I will need is there and keep pen/paper handy but what about simple advice on the best ways to begin/end a phone call... surely there is some sort of accepted phone script I can practise?

[boomba]

I know exactly how you feel! I always ask DH to do the phonecalls cause I too feel like a kid trying to be a grown up!

When you work out how to overcome let me know!

[Heaven]

You are not alone! I hate making phone calls too. And I don't even think I'm bad at it so I don't know wtf the problem is. I feel so nervous/anxious when I have to call but the conversation goes fine so I don't know what it is. It's the same, only appointments etc, not with family and friends.

I always get DH to do it too and I think he thinks I'm being stupid, lol.

[Jellyfish]

I know exactly how you feel! I always ask DH to do the phonecalls cause I too feel like a kid trying to be a grown up!

When you work out how to overcome let me know!

Funnily enough, I did try to palm off one call to DP today about enquiring when my next OB appointment was because I'd lost the date/time somewhere but they told him they needed to speak to me directly and I felt a million times stupider having to get on there after obviously trying to avoid doing so haha but I survived... just need to keep focussing on every 'successful' call... I can do it, I can do itttttt...

You are not alone! I hate making phone calls too. And I don't even think I'm bad at it so I don't know wtf the problem is. I feel so nervous/anxious when I have to call but the conversation goes fine so I don't know what it is. It's the same, only appointments etc, not with family and friends.

I always get DH to do it too and I think he thinks I'm being stupid, lol.

I don't know where mine comes from either Heaven as I haven't had any bad phone experiences and things always go fine so definitely an irrational anxiety!

[Glass half full]

I am exactly the same! I hate it so much I'll put off making phone calls till the absolute last minute. Same as if my mobile rings and it's a number I don't know, I start to freak out and don't want to answer it. It sucks so much, I wish I knew how to get over it


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[Jellyfish]

Oh yeah, if I ever have a number calling me that I do not know I will google it... one time I googled and it came back as my Mum's work haha I'm an idiot >.>

[*TripleJ*]

im horrible at it

i even refused to call 000 when mum needed me to when i was younger

[Tinks]

I am the same. I've been putting off calling the travel agent to ask a question about a holiday I've already booked for weeks now. I don't like to call friends in case I am interrupting them

I don't know if this will help you but I find when I"m ringing about something important I need to make a list of questions otherwise I get all flustered and forget to ask them.

[Miss.September]

I avoided ringing the insurance company once, couldn't be bothered dealing with it. So DH called them and said I'd just about lost my voice and went through the entire call. But it came to a point where they had to speak to me, so I had to pretend I barely had a voice. Got off the phone and couldn't stop laughing.

But I know what you mean. I'm not too bad with doctors etc, but things like service providers? Oh my. I struggle sometimes over the phone with thick accents and am worried I'm going to agree to something I shouldn't be!

[black_rose]

I absolutely hate it! I have to set reminders so I will do them and IRS always left until the last minute. Crazy thing is I used to have to be on the phone all day at work in my role as a pa/office manager but it was people calling me to sort out problems or book appointments.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Im another one.
I even get anxiety about friends.
Have to think about whether or not Im feeling up to answering the phone a lot of the time.
At work I don't so much mind answering the phone as returning phone calls.

[~TT40~]

Thanks to mobile phones, I have this thing about avoiding answering our home phone cause I dont know who it is. (even though there is only like 4 ppl who know our home phone number anyway..) but i go, nah i wont answer it, i'll let them leave a msg and if i want to talk to them i will call them back. all because i cant see who it is calling me!!
interms of making phonecalls i dont have a problem, probably cause i know who i'm talking to (in a sense - obviously not personally..) I think my work has helped me with this cause i'm always having to answer the phone and not know who it will be, or making phonecalls for appointments and stuff for my women and patients.

would writing a list of stuff first help? like points on what you need to know and what days you are avaliable etc.. so its all there so you arent on the spot and get flustered?

[beansbeans!]

Im another one,

But I get it over calling immediate family and close friends. Currently my cousin rang me a couple of months ago to see if I wanted to go to a concert with he and his wife. I have to call back to say if I got tickets or not and to make plans. The concert is next month, we are not going yet I just cant bring myself to ring him. Same goes with my aunt, my mum and brother even.
Its the same with the mil, I had to return her call last week, and couldnt because I didnt know her number, its the sme number they have had for years, but I dont know it, I always get Dh to ring.
Same with appts, calling companies like the electricity or gas companies.

I also rarely answer the phone, I am quite happy to let it go to message bank, and I will hear the message when I am ready. My mobile, I rarely answer it even if I know who is calling!

Im bad here

[forshelby]

I was the same for a long time. Until I took a job as an outbound telesales person. Nothing cures you faster than making 300+ calls to strangers every day. After that, I switched to inbound customer service which helped even more. Now when I need to make an appointment, enquiry etc, I just put on my 'phone voice' lol.

Obviously that isn't a practical solution though, but I thought I'd share details of my miraculous recovery from phoneophobia FWIW, I still hate private number calls. I just don't answer those cause I don't want to yell at telemarketers. Poor buggers.

[TeniBear]

I do the same thing - even when I thought I was in labour at 31 weeks (32? I can't remember now), I waited til hubby was home so he could call :-/


Sent from my iPhone so forgive the speelung misstacks

[briggsy's girl]

i can answer calls at work just fine (60 a day on average) - but i hate making calls. if i can deal with something using email or text i will, and will put off other calls until i have no choice but to make them. once i'm on the call, i can deal with it - hell, i'm on the phone all day at work - it's working myself up to actually be able to make the call in the first place

[Glamourcide]

Oh thank goodness, I'm not the only one! I am massively phobic about phones - I flatly refuse to answer my home phone and will only pick up my mobile if it's a friend or family member, or I'm expecting a call from someone. I despise having to make phone calls... my asthma has flared up lately and I've got a heinous chest infection that could easily be sorted with a renewed script for asthma meds and some antibiotics for my chest but I'd rather just live with the constant barking and wheezing than pick up the stupid phone and make a Dr's appt!

[~Hestia~]

Jumping for joy that it's not just me I absolutely hate making calls if it's not friends or family. Actually even some friends and family makes me anxious. When I was a kid I spoke reeeeeally fast and now as an adult if I'm nervous it starts up again. So it's a kinda catch 22 - if I wasn't nervous it wouldn't happen but thinking it might happen makes me nervous!

So DH makes most of the phone calls. He works a lot though so I'll do the ones I have to but if it can wait for him, then it does. I use texts heaps as well as email for official things. I don't seem to have a problem with answering the phone, I guess becuse they're calling me so I don't have to worry about explaining myself ITMS.

I worked in a doctors surgery for a few years where I had to man the desk and make/receive all phone calls which wasn't a problem either. Must be the professional mindset!