![\"phone](\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/08\/phone-anxiety-telephone-phobia-hong-kong.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMaking and answering phone calls may seem like a piece of cake to a lot of people. It saves the trouble of messaging back and forth and you can receive an answer from the other person right away. But for those of us who have phone anxiety, picking up the phone and hearing a human voice (plus the sound of their breathing) coming from the other end of the line is simply terrifying. Is the matter that urgent that you couldn\u2019t just send a WhatsApp?<\/p>\n
As the type of person who will go to great lengths to avoid group hangouts and parties, someone calling me on the phone is the last thing I need. Let\u2019s keep unnecessary human contact to a bare minimum, shall we? Whenever I catch my cell ringing, my heart races and my fight or flight response gets activated.<\/p>\n
Are they trying to confront me with my failures? Are they going to seek my immediate response in which I\u2019m sure is less than perfect? Can they tell how insecure I am from my shaking voice? In real life, you can mask your irrational (but inevitable) fear with a grin on your face, indecisiveness can be masqueraded as pure thoughtfulness; during a phone call, you can\u2019t pull off that trick, you just can\u2019t hide. You\u2019re stripped bare; you\u2019re a naked soul.<\/p>\n
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Yes, I\u2019m a coward when it comes to digital communication. It takes me hours (in worst case scenario, months) to message a friend back; a phone call is overwhelming for sure. I\u2019ve had situations where a random number hit me up five times in one week and I didn\u2019t pick up once because I was too frightened. It turned out that person wanted to discuss something semi work-related, so I messaged him back later that day and it was about, well, nothing.<\/p>\n