Is it an introvert thing or a thing of people with social anxiety to hate making phone calls? I recognize it’s irrational, and I generally don’t mind talking on the phone once I’m engaged in a conversation, but making a call? Terrible.
A week prior, a friend had texted.
“Have you talked to [mutual friend] lately?”
“Not in the last week or so. Why?”
“I texted her a few days ago and haven’t heard back from her yet.”
“I’m on Facebook right now. I’ll shoot her a message.”
I did. Several days later, when that message was still marked unread, I sent a text.
It’s not unusual for her not to reply for a couple of days, but more days passed than I was comfortable with. I also knew that her husband and one of her kids had had COVID and hoped she was still healthy.
I checked back in.
“Hey—have you heard back from [mutual friend] yet?”
Nope.
“I’m a little worried and I’m not sure what to do.”
I texted another friend.
“Hey. I contacted [mutual friend] last week via Facebook Messenger and then via text and both are still unread and I’m worried and not sure what to do.”
Then, the kicker.
“Have you called her?”
I laughed out loud. It had never occurred to me to call her.
“My phone-phobic brain is rationalizing by saying that the text and the call are on the same device so why send a second when I already sent the first? But my rational brain says yes, go call!”
I called. She answered.
“The person who hates making phone calls is calling me!”
We ended up talking for 45 minutes.
I confirmed she’s OK, and I added a new tool to my kit: making a phone call.
Calling people was never a problem for me when I was younger, but since we’ve gone so digital, it’s a tremendous source of anxiety for me. For nearly a year, I have put off calling to close a credit card, even though I know it would probably be a quick five-minute call. I’m glad you did it; it sounds liked it was time well spent 🙂
It was indeed time well-spent. Younger, it depended on who I was calling. And I always hoped that the person I wanted to talk to was the one who would answer the phone, which isn’t so much an issue any more. (Also, I’ve closed my credit cards via snail mail.)
You just rocked my world. I had never considered that I could close the cards through snail mail!