Does making phone calls makes you feel bad?

[Bagger]

Just like title says. How do you feel when you need to make phone call to a stranger? Let it be a job search, pizza delivery, taxi etc. Does it make you uncomfortable? Afraid? Depressed more? This shit freaks me out every time... I need some time and smoke or two before i can force myself to do it. Even then I'm stressed as hell and sometimes just give up and call later or not at all. I'm the only one so fucked up? How about you?

 

[Lush_nova]

we don't have a landline phone. I recently only just a mobile phone.... I give everyone my husbands number. I loathe speaking on the phone. I refuse to call anyone. not helped by people NEVER understanding me, I dont even have a accent
it just freaks me out totally

 

[Final Escape]

Just like title says. How do you feel when you need to make phone call to a stranger? Let it be a job search, pizza delivery, taxi etc. Does it make you uncomfortable? Afraid? Depressed more? This shit freaks me out every time... I need some time and smoke or two before i can force myself to do it. Even then I'm stressed as hell and sometimes just give up and call later or not at all. I'm the only one so fucked up? How about you?

Yes I hate it so much. I have fonafobia.

 

[Deleted member 1496]

Same, you're not the only one. When I have a call to make, I need to prepare for it: psych myself out (which usually doesn't work, so it get pushed to tomorrow's to do list), type out things I want to ask so I don't forget, figure out what I to say if someone asks how I'm doing so I don't blurt out "hoping to die soon", making sure I have a drink nearby so that I'm not coughing because of a dry throat. And although I never had this problem with a landline, using my cell I'm always interrupting people, as if there's a transmission delay. Now I count to 3 after they've finished talking, but that doesn't always work because sometimes they think I'm not saying anything, they'll start talking again, and so my counting resets to 0. Either that or there's awkward silence for 3 seconds. :)

 

[not_a_robot]

Just like title says. How do you feel when you need to make phone call to a stranger? Let it be a job search, pizza delivery, taxi etc. Does it make you uncomfortable? Afraid? Depressed more? This shit freaks me out every time... I need some time and smoke or two before i can force myself to do it. Even then I'm stressed as hell and sometimes just give up and call later or not at all. I'm the only one so fucked up? How about you?

yes, but it's not as bad as meeting them in person.

Yes I hate it so much. I have fonafobia.

Oh god. Answering the "work phone" used to be so traumatic for me. Never got any easier. I had a million coping strategies but nothing could stand up to the creepiness of the average john. {{{shudder}}}

 

[Soul]

Yeah, I hate it. I don't even answer the landline anymore. And if I need to initiate a call I try to get someone else to do it.

 

[Conflicted Cat]

Yeah. I try to avoid them as much as possible. Just an uncomfortable, awkward mess... I'd rather just not if possible.

 

[inconsequential]

It makes me very anxious. I use a voice to text transcription service whenever I can.

 

[Pistolero114]

Just like title says. How do you feel when you need to make phone call to a stranger? Let it be a job search, pizza delivery, taxi etc. Does it make you uncomfortable? Afraid? Depressed more? This shit freaks me out every time... I need some time and smoke or two before i can force myself to do it. Even then I'm stressed as hell and sometimes just give up and call later or not at all. I'm the only one so fucked up? How about you?

You're not alone.

 

[Memento Mori]

avoiding it as much as possible, going for mail

Just like title says. How do you feel when you need to make phone call to a stranger? Let it be a job search, pizza delivery, taxi etc. Does it make you uncomfortable? Afraid? Depressed more? This shit freaks me out every time... I need some time and smoke or two before i can force myself to do it. Even then I'm stressed as hell and sometimes just give up and call later or not at all. I'm the only one so fucked up? How about you?

when i smoke then they'll hear it in my voice or small breaks lol

 

[quiet35]

The same here. It actually impacted my job performance when I had a job. I had difficulties convincing myself to make a call. I always needed to prepare for a call, to make a plan of it in my head. And I got something forgotten to discuss during 50% of calls anyway.
Receiving calls was a bit easier. The easiest was (strangely) to meet someone in person.
Nothing really changed so far - the issue is still here.

 

[Morphinekiss]

If there isn't an app I can order through/ schedule my appointments through it hardly happens.

 

[Severen]

No but having to deal with job interview like phone calls is very uncomfortable because I hate having to sell myself like a little bitch.

 

[Heliochrome]

The same here. It actually impacted my job performance when I had a job. I had difficulties convincing myself to make a call. I always needed to prepare for a call, to make a plan of it in my head. And I got something forgotten to discuss during 50% of calls anyway.
Receiving calls was a bit easier. The easiest was (strangely) to meet someone in person.
Nothing really changed so far - the issue is still here.

No but having to deal with job interview like phone calls is very uncomfortable because I hate having to sell myself like a little bitch.

I relate to these.
Sometimes i call a relative first get a generic conversation going, sort of as a warm up before calling wherever i need to. Get into all kinds of characters and play with my voice to see what leaves the best impression on certain kinds of people. That little squeak or uneasiness they sense and close in on you and get more comfortable with you, give an inch they take a mile.

 

[dhk96]

Yes. I rarely ever make calls but during two recent times, I ended up crying during the call. Not extremely enough to make it known that I was crying to the receiver but yeah. I absolutely despise and am scared of having to call people. Same with getting the door or meeting people, distant family members and strangers alike.

My family wants me to grow out of it and says "just make calls so you get used to it," but they don't understand how bad it is because of how 'normal' I can act around them on the daily. It literally feels like I have to CTB in front of them to show (or "prove" to) them how much I've had to cope with existing for so long.

 

[dreamsofdestruction]

Yeah, used to, especially when I came out NEETdom. But it got better.

Generally I don't like talking on the phone though, it makes me more uncomfortable than talking to people in person. But if I know them for a while it's okay.

 

[Life sucks]

I almost never call or get calls and I hate calls generally.

 

[throwaway123]

yea it sucks

 

[kolski]

I can't answer the phone at all. Especially if I don't know the caller, but I still don't like answering if I do know. It just makes me feel sick and exhausted from the anxiety..