Anyone else get anxious on the phone?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Anyone else get anxious on the phone?
12
Tue, 02-21-2006 - 10:51am

I'm not talking about being on the phone with friends or family, but I get very anxious when I have to call any kind of Customer Service or someone I don't know very well. Basically, any kind of business call. Even work-related calls. Luckily, in my current position I rarely have to make any calls. I don't know what I think will happen on the phone, but I get anxious about making the call and usually put it off as long as I can.


For instance, I'm moving into a new place Saturday. It's an apartment within a private home, and the owner of the house is as nice as could be. And still, I've been freaking out since Sunday about calling him to go over the very minor repairs and whatever I wanted done before I moved in. I obsess over everything. On Monday, I debated whether it would be better to call him at work or in the evening at home. While I was at work on Monday, I thought that he might find it inconvenient if I called him at work, so I decided to wait until that evening between 7:45 and 8 p.m. (not too early and not too late and likely past the dinner hour) to call him at home. Well, 8:00 came and went. I thought that he might not like being bothered at home. Nevermind that that doesn't make any sense because I will be living in the same house with him in a matter of days and that of course should any emergency come up while I'm living there I would be contacting him at home--knocking on his front door no less.


So finally today, I gathered my wits about me and went out to the car with my cell phone (no privacy in my office). It took me about 5 minutes to actually make the call (which lasted for less than 10 minutes). And, of course, he was amenable to everything I asked for and said it would be taken care of.


WHY was I so worried? It's totally irrational, but I'm like that for any kind of call where I have to ask for something or get personal business taken care of. Anyone else do this?


Laura

Mad Men siggie



Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-11-2004
Thu, 02-23-2006 - 12:13pm
So glad you brought this subject up. I work in an office with three other women and we can all hear each other's conversations. I hate making business calls, and luckily I don't have to make too many of them. If I do have to make a call, I wait until everyone else is out of the room. I guess it's a confidence thing, but I don't want everyone else to hear me on the phone.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-01-2006
Thu, 02-23-2006 - 6:22pm

Laura, be assured you are not alone in that. Even when I have good days and even now that I am 'under control' I still feel that way. It's just something you don't want to face. My problem is I think they will think I am an idiot if I can't form my sentences right. I have heard myself on a recording and I see that I sound all right, but I just obsess over sounding stupid. Does that make sense? It is to the point that before i make a call, I rehearse what I am going to say, and then what I am going to say if it is a recording. Sometimes I would rather talk to a machine. Short, precise and to the point, lol.

Hugs

Barb

Pages