Nomophobia: Anyone else terrified of being without their phone?

boldnomad45 said:I get you. For most of my life, I thought I was the only one struggling with this, that I was somehow broken. Eventually, life and work force your hand; necessity makes things easier.
It gets more manageable with age. It doesn't feel as paralyzing as it used to, but if there's an option to handle things via email, I'll take it every single time.
Phone calls still make me uneasy. I hate them, and I always have to mentally rehearse everything beforehand. If I can avoid it, I will. If I can't, I just get it over with.

I'm much more of an email person myself. I barely use my phone for anything other than texting; most of my actual calls are reserved for family or close friends. Anything beyond that triggers a bit of anxiety...

Nathan Peterson11 said:I can't stand talking on my mobile phone if there's anyone standing near me... even if I'm just calling to book an appointment at a salon.
I honestly feel like it's a total invasion of privacy.

I'm exactly the same way.
When it comes to handling anything actually important, it gets even worse; I usually have to lock myself in my room just to get any sense of focus. If I know I have to deal with something over the phone, I start getting all worked up, whereas if I'm just sitting outside my boss's office waiting for them to call me in for a big meeting, I'm surprisingly chill.

It isn't exactly a phobia or anything, I just don't care for that style of communication. I end up tripping over my words or accidentally cutting people off.
Normally, I'm a pretty chatty extrovert who loves face-to-face interaction and handles social situations just fine, 😁

But phone calls 🙂

I suppose I’ve never really been much of a phone person. I realized after following this thread that I’m probably not the only one who feels this way.
At work, I have to deal with clients via both phone and email, but whenever there's an option, I'll choose an email every single time. Even if it takes me ten minutes to compose a message that could have been handled in a two-minute call, I just can't bring myself to do it. I tend to get a bit clumsy on the phone, and there's a certain discomfort in talking to someone you can't actually see—especially when they're strangers, which most of my professional contacts happen to be.
Writing an email feels much more manageable, I guess, because it gives me a moment to actually think about what I want to say, introduce myself properly, and settle my thoughts.
Even at home, if I need to order something, I'll always opt for an online checkout rather than picking up the phone.
It might seem odd to some, but I just find it awkward to speak with people I don't know unless I can at least see them or understand the context of why we're interacting.
I definitely wouldn't ever make it as one of those overworked call center employees. 🤣 But in all seriousness, I don't think I could handle that kind of job given my general aversion to the telephone. 🤦

That’s simply because you lack experience in this field.

If you worked a job where phones were ringing off the hook all day long, you wouldn't even consider "phone anxiety" to be a real thing.

How do you even manage your personal business when the mere thought of someone calling or having to answer the phone causes such discomfort?

I can talk about pretty much anything
But honestly, every time a call comes in from an unknown number... and there aren't many of them anyway... I get this wave of anxiety. I just start worrying that it’s some bad news—it’s a lingering habit from back when I was constantly bracing myself for the worst

James Miller2 said:That’s simply because you lack experience in this field.

If you worked a job where phones were ringing off the hook all day long, you wouldn't even consider "phone anxiety" to be a real thing.

How do you even manage your personal business when the mere thought of someone calling or having to answer the phone causes such discomfort?

My phone rings all the time, in English or whatever, but just like the post above, I'll spend way more time on an email—though I'd much rather write one than pick up the phone if I have the choice.
When I'm ordering something... there's this tightness, or maybe it's just a need for control. I feel more in charge via email. A phone call feels like a struggle, a whole process of preparation and such. Email doesn't do that.

And as for how we get things done? I use email, or if a call is absolutely necessary, I just push through it like anything else in life that sucks but is mandatory. It's exhausting and anxious, but I do it.

boldnomad45 said:My phone rings all the time, in English or whatever, but just like the post above, I'll spend way more time on an email—though I'd much rather write one than pick up the phone if I have the choice.
When I'm ordering something... there's this tightness, or maybe it's just a need for control. I feel more in charge via email. A phone call feels like a struggle, a whole process of preparation and such. Email doesn't do that.

And as for how we get things done? I use email, or if a call is absolutely necessary, I just push through it like anything else in life that sucks but is mandatory. It's exhausting and anxious, but I do it.

I understand, but I think you're doing yourself a disservice.

Pick up the phone. Even if it feels awkward, that's how you build confidence and grow.

By running away and avoiding the issue, the problem will only seem larger than it actually is.

Conversations in a foreign language are rarely perfect on either side, so I don't see why there should be any taboo there.

James Miller2 said:I understand, but I think you're doing yourself a disservice.

Pick up the phone. Even if it feels awkward, that's how you build confidence and grow.

By running away and avoiding the issue, the problem will only seem larger than it actually is.

Conversations in a foreign language are rarely perfect on either side, so I don't see why there should be any taboo there.

I spent about two years working in customer service—averaging maybe 50 inbound and outbound calls a day—but even now, that kind of communication still makes me feel a bit uneasy.

Granted, if I’m calling someone I actually know, it isn't a huge deal; but for strangers? I’d much rather just hop in my car and handle things face-to-face.

"...that phone is a direct line to hell."

I’ve reached a point where I can't stand my phone, even though—alongside my laptop—it's basically my entire livelihood.
It just feels wrong talking to someone when I can't actually look them in the eye.

But, naturally, I just ignore that discomfort because, let's face it, making calls is unavoidable.

I've never actually worked in customer service, but if I were ever looking for a hypothetical job, I think I'd much rather stay home than deal with that.

That’s the first I’ve ever heard of it. It isn't exactly fear that I'm feeling, but once I really sit down and process the implications, it honestly makes me feel a bit nauseous.

Adam Phillips2 said:That’s the first I’ve ever heard of it. It isn't exactly fear that I'm feeling, but once I really sit down and process the implications, it honestly makes me feel a bit nauseous.

This whole thread belongs on a therapist's couch, don't you think?😵

I need to make a phone call, but I can't. The anxiety hits hard—it’s enough to make me want to break down, seriously. Does anyone know if there's a pill that actually helps with this?

Any notes?

James Miller2 said:That’s simply because you lack experience in this field.

If you worked a job where phones were ringing off the hook all day long, you wouldn't even consider "phone anxiety" to be a real thing.

How do you even manage your personal business when the mere thought of someone calling or having to answer the phone causes such discomfort?

That's not true. I worked in a call center and calling became second nature, but I still absolutely hate making personal calls.
You can't compare reading from a script like some kind of robot to having a real conversation where you actually need something personally. It's different.

My heart starts racing like crazy whenever I have to dial a number myself😠 but if someone calls me, it's not a huge deal, even if I still get a little jittery.

I’ve always felt like my voice sounds a bit rough, and since I tend to mumble my words when I'm caught off guard, I really dread it whenever the phone starts ringing.