I can't answer phone calls due to my anxiety? Any tips?

[Narniakid]

Hi everyone! Only joined the BB community a few days ago but I am already finding it an extremely helpful and rewarding platform.

I've been a sufferer of severe depression and anxiety for about 5 years now and I am well on the road to recovery. The only thing I still struggle a little bit with is answering phone calls. I can answer them at work on their phone because the conversation is basically all the same and I just transfer the call, however with my study and volunteering commitments outside of the workplace, I get a lot of random phone calls from unknown numbers, and I just can't bring myself to answer them. Whenever I get the chance, I tell people to contact me via email or text message because I find the written word so much more comfortable and more convenient.

I know this symptom is fairly common amongst us anxious people, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can manage my fear a little better?

Keep smiling!

Crystal

[Carmen_Lisa]

Maybe too simplistic, but how about pretending you are someone else when you answer the phone.... Someone who is confident etc. ?

Maybe it is letting it be okay that you feel anxious at the moment. Talk kindly to yourself... Its understandable that I feel this way. People can leave messages or email and that is okay. If you do answer,  acknowledge the achievement. I answered the phone even though I felt.... 

Ha.. I think I might sound like my psychologist! 

[geoff]

dear Narniakid, welcome to the site and thanks for making this comment, which happens to so many of us suffering from depression and anxiety.

To answer a knock on the door and to answer the phone when it rings is unbearable and nerve racking, and even if it only rings once or twice it seems to be every second.

If it's due to payment being late on a loan or credit card then these calls can be stopped by various companies, or when I was in this position I went to Anglicare who did it for me, but I might be heading down the wrong track here.

So back to these calls you can hook up to 101 phone service and secondly I would suggest that you get yourself an answering machine where you can answer any calls you want and delete those that you don't want to answer. L Geoff. x

[Narniakid]

Hi Carmen!

I think you're onto something when you say to try and pretend to be more confident than I actually am. I think I might put a sticky note on the back of my phone to remember that whenever it rings. 

Thanks for your suggestion! 

Crystal

[Narniakid]

Hi Geoff!

Thank you for your kind words and your suggestions. I'll have a look into the 101 phone service, and I also think getting an answering machine is a really good idea.

Thanks again and take care!

Crystal

[clare89]

Hi Crystal

Remember that anxiety thrives on avoidance. If you avoid answering the phone it will make it 100 times worse the next time. 

I used to be incredibly shy and hated answering the phone or making phone calls but now I'm fine about it. I also used to be worried it was bad news if it was a strange number. 

Hope that helped or at least let you know you're not alone. 

[Narniakid]

"Anxiety thrives on avoidance"

I am going to write that down somewhere because that is so true! You are absolutely spot on! 

Thank you Clare!