why do I get petrified when I have to talk to strangers on the phone? How do I cope?

I used to be terrified to talk on the phone as well. i was 20 something before I was even able to order a pizza on the phone! Before making the call I would take deep breaths and realize that there was no harm that could come from the phone call. Nothing they did or said could affect me negatively if I did not allow it

Talking to someone new can be very scary because we don't know what will happen. We don't know if we can trust them whether we are calling them or they are calling us - even when we know what company we are calling or what company they say they're calling us from! The best way to feel in control of these situations is to know what you want out of them and what you will and will not agree to that you think is reasonable until you receive information that changes this. When I receive a call from an unknown number, I also know that I will not identify myself before they identify who they are, whom they are trying to reach and why. When I call somewhere, I know ahead of time what I need and I state that up front as concisely as I can. I answer any questions as best as I can. When I feel confident that I'm speaking to the right person for the right reasons, I try to treat the other person as if I already know them to release some of the pressure I have and I find that it makes the other person treat me in kind.

Feeling scared when having to talk to strangers on the phone is not uncommon. Sometimes you may be feeling anxious because the phone call has an important outcome (for example, having an interview for a job). You want to come across well and so you are nervous about saying the wrong thing. Other times, the phone call may not have such a big outcome but you can still feel nervous because you are worried about what the other person might think about you - that they know you are nervous or that they think you are stupid, for example. These feelings of fear or anxiety can be amplified on the phone because it can be harder to tell what a person is thinking when you cannot see them. I find it helpful to take a deep breath before I start a phone call. It might also be helpful to have a pen and paper with you so that you can write down any important information to help you feel more prepared.

I get scared because I'm worried about how I sound when I talk to them and if I can accurately convey the information that I need to. It mainly bothers me when I have to initiate a phone conversation or when someone calls requesting information that I do not have immediately on hand. I cope by practicing beforehand if I am the one calling the person and having the information needed at my disposal. If someone calls requesting information, I practice asking them to call back or for me to call them back at a later time so I am not frazzled and they aren't listening to me shuffle papers around.

Commonly referred to as "phone anxiety," this is a type of social anxiety that causes you to fear talking to others on the phone. I struggle with this too, except I can't talk to anyone on the phone, nonetheless strangers. Believe it or not, phone anxiety is pretty common, and you are not alone in this. The best way to cope is to start slowly and work yourself up to longer phone conversations with unfamiliar people. Regularly call someone you are familiar with until that feels easy. This is how I started. Then, perhaps, start calling people you don't know, putting yourself in situations where the conversation will be short (setting up a hairdresser appointment, for example). Work up to longer conversations with stranger people. Try to find and practice methods that help you calm down in the moment, such as deep breathing or imagining your "happy place," so you can shut down mounting anxiety while on call. This will give you confidence knowing you're not going to panic or freeze up while talking to others. Anxiety is complex, but the best ways to get over it are to face it in manageable bursts. Start slowly and work your way up to scarier encounters, and you got this!