Phone and Doorbell

[Kinetik]

No matter how much progress I make, I can't stop feeling panicky when I hear the doorbell or phone ring. It's fine if it's a family member calling, or if the mailman is at the door, but if I have no idea who it is or what they want, I feel horrible. My heart jumps into my mouth and I almost certainly goof up the ensuing conversation. I've had it before where I just hang up mid-call because things weren't flowing nicely.

It bothers me that my anxiety is so situational. In a wide range of scenarios, I can be very calm and even authoritarian, but I seem to have this problem when it comes to someone presenting themselves to me unexpectedly.

Is anyone over this? How do you deal with it?

 

[Eristelle]

im too afraid to answer either. Usually i get nervous and run back to my room. If im forced to answer the door, i will likely screw up everything because of how stupid i look answering. it gives me a bad experience and makes my anxiety worse. The phone is simply embarrassing. no one can ever hear me and i sound even more like an idiot. my mom thinks this crap helps me when she is actually making me avoid everything.

 

[Graeme1988]

I get really anxious when it comes to both of these situations. I only seem to answer the door if the postman comes and my mum's out shopping. Leaving me in the house by myself. I rarely, if ever, answer my own mobile phone if it rings, let alone the house phone. And I constantly avoid having to talk on the phone, especially if I'm asked to speak with someone.

 

[The Lost]

I'll only respond if I know it's someone in the family, or rely on someone else to pick up/answer the door.

 

[MollyBeGood]

No matter how much progress I make, I can't stop feeling panicky when I hear the doorbell or phone ring. It's fine if it's a family member calling, or if the mailman is at the door, but if I have no idea who it is or what they want, I feel horrible. My heart jumps into my mouth and I almost certainly goof up the ensuing conversation. I've had it before where I just hang up mid-call because things weren't flowing nicely.

It bothers me that my anxiety is so situational. In a wide range of scenarios, I can be very calm and even authoritarian, but I seem to have this problem when it comes to someone presenting themselves to me unexpectedly.

Is anyone over this? How do you deal with it?

my mom (apparently thinking I was dead after one day of no contact-long story) recently called the sheriff and a deputy did a "welfare check" at my house-He knocked on the window of my living room so...not using a door and being a police officer I was kinda rattled to say the least and yeah I usually feel jumpy anyways about people calling or stopping by unannounced so you can imagine. Not sure if I will ever feel comfortable with people stopping by unannounced ever tbh. Never have. I don't mind phone calls so much though, I just screen them.

 

[fitftw]

I don't even answer if my family is calling. I don't answer my doorbell unless I order food.

 

[Invisibleman]

I have this problem as well. Even if its my family calling everytime the phone rings my heart feels like its jumping out of my chest. The door is even worse. When somebody knocks I always yell for my mom to get it. One time I was home alone and the people doing our gutters came and they knocked. They clearly seen me as I ran up the stairs,into my room,and into my closet. I stayed there until they went away.

 

[Overload]

I usually wait for someone else to answer the phone. I'm pretty sure I weirded out some people calling about some of my craigslist ads lol.

 

[My Entropy]

I used to have the same issues with answering phones, but going to work just plunged me right in it and i think ive gotten over it to some extent. With mobile phones its become a lot more comfortable, as the majority of calls show the caller id. Although even then i dreaded picking up sometimes in case it was an invite to somewhere i didnt want to go and i couldnt come up with an excuse.

Also I still plan for a few minutes what im going to say if im going to make a phonecall to a stranger.

Doorbell is another issue, in the back of my mind it feels like conmen outweigh genuine callers even though its not true. And then worst of all are the Trick or Treaters, who on that night have been granted a legitimate right to rob or threaten you in someway. I stay well away from the door on that night pretending that i cant hear it, so that someone else will answer it.

 

[Kiwong]

I usually don't bother answering the door, I only get visited by sales people.

 

[Predacon]

The phone doesn't really bother me, the door I am occasionally weary of but that's more fear of it being some crazy guy trying to force his way in then a SP thing.

 

[tenuous~hold]

i would like to ignore both also... if it's funny young guys in suits carrying books then i can feel safe to not answer the door. since i don't have caller ID (probably somewhat unheard of in these days but i don't feel like paying the extra $5/mo. just for that), it's always a gamble about the phone. but since i don't do a lot of calling, & it's not like i'm leaving my phone number all over the place, so i don't get surprised too often.

 

[Mr.Prez]

I volunteer on the distress line and I get very nervous and jump when the line rings

 

[Aletheia]

My adrenaline goes through the roof whenever the phone rings. This is part of why I left my volunteer job on a suicide hotline.

At home I very seldom answer the phone if I don't recognise the number.

 

[UnderTheBoughs]

Exactly the same, I can't answer the house phone unless my mum is out and even then only if it rings for ages. I can answer my mobile just fine though, but it's not like I have anyone calling me other than doctors, job interviews and the jobcentre. Only contacts on my phone are my mum, the number to find out how much credit I have, and the answer phone service from when I was doing jury service earlier in the year, which is how you find out if you need to come into to the courthouse.

I can answer the front door only if I know it is my mum or my driving instructor when he picks me up for lessons. For the postman only if the dog is not by the door, since I can't get him to move myself and he would cause a lot of hassle.