I'm sure you're going to laugh at me - phone phobia - and important calls I really HAVE to make today..........

[FAQ]

I'm ok making calls to people I know (most of the time - if it's someone I don't know very well, or don't get on with I'll try to avoid at all costs). Phone calls to get quotes/arrangement appointments/find out information I'm terrified of doing and rarely do.

However today I have to make some calls.

I need call some solicitors to try and arrange an appointment to see someone.

I need to call CAB (if they're open - website says they're not open today anyhow) to make an appointment to see someone there.

Also need to call the council housing department as well.

All of these are vitally important as I could find myself homeless within a few months (exH can't afford to keep paying the mortgage on this place - and I can't either)

However I'm sat here with the numbers in front of me and I'm too terrified to pick up the phone and ring - it's really stupid I know - the fear of finding myself without a home with 3 young DS's is even more terrifying - but that thought isn't helping me get on with these calls..........

I have this also and I ring up people for my job!! Can you imagine...

I usually barricade myself into my quiet room and sit on the sofa and make the calls from there - if I'm at my desk I get performance anxiety

I'm so glad to know I'm not alone and that there other phone-a-phobics like me
though I have to say I've become a lot more confident with practice, so FAQ, even if you don't have to make a call anymore today, I would force myself to make one - it's called aversion therapy and it's the recommend therapy for lots of phobias.

now aversion therapy worked for my fear of spiders......I can cope with them now.

But wasps - well I had enforced wasps aversion therapy with a wasps nest near my back door (therefore LOADS in the house) for nearly 2 weeks just before the summer holidays - I'm still shit scared of them

one thing i have found a massive help is to find a way of doing lots of things via the net. i find email addresses for all sorts of things i always presumed i had to ring for and i have the insurance and banks set up with internet accounts so i don't have to ring them.

i also go in person to do things that i could technically ring about like make appointments and stuff.

i know i should just go for it but it's incredible how many excuses i can find not to ring until it's actually too late and people are shouting at me

I have this. Don't mind (so much) if it is someone I know well or will never meet, but I hate ringing people I only know slightly, and put it off for as long as possible. Also can't make phonecalls if someone else is in the room (other than dcs).

Don't mind people phoning me though.

Faq what was the solution? I know very nosy of me but just wondering.

the bank has agreed to switch the mortgage to interest only - therefore reducing the payments. We (exH and I) just need to make sure that the full amount due on the 1st October is paid for them to switch it for him (well us- it's in his name).

so between us we need to find approx £400 (he's been paying rent on a place for himself, and the mortgage here - which is why things have finally come to "crunch" point) - which as scary as it sounds is a lot easier and more straightforward than selling this house, working out all the legal stuff with regards to splitting the profits, me finding deposit and rent for somewhere else, moving and sorting out Housing Benefit.

We'll leave it at interest only - with me paying what I'm currently paying towards it, and him topping up the rest (not too much so he's not going to be skint and not be able to have the DS's) until I'm working again in a couple of years time. Then the mortgage company will be more likely to put my name on the mortgage/agree for me to take it over, and then I'll switch back to repayment as soon as I'm able to afford ti myself.

Glad to hear you've got it sorted.

Interesting that there are so many phone-phobics. I also feel like that sometimes. When I was a child (about 10 maybe?) I remember my mum asking me to phone the speaking clock for her and I got so scared of doing it I was practically in tears . These days I usually write down what I'm going to say, and sometimes practise it out loud.

Fab news FAQ!!!!!!!!!

So glad to hear it is sorted FAQ. Also want to add my name to the growing list of phone phobics - I overcome it by writing things down that I need to say - including opening sentence - and not putting it off for too long as the stress just mounts. It has got better over the years and I'm now okay at work (in my professional persona IYSWIM) but still have problems with anything from home like ringing trades-people or even friends .

Another phone phobic here. It seems like it's actually quite common - until recently I was working on a bank of four desks, three of us were avowed phone-phobes! It was great once we all realised, we'd congratulate each other if we made a phone call.

Interesting that PinkTulips and FAQ have both said they'd rather talk to people in person - I would too, and that seems really weird. We're far more 'vulnerable' standing in person in front of someone, rather than being an anonymous voice on the phone, why do some of us find the former so much easier?

And yay to phone-free solution FAQ - solution good, phone-free even better!