Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsTreatmentCoping Strategies
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Symptoms
Treatment
Coping Strategies
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Many people don’t like talking on the phone. However, if your hesitance to make and receive calls causes symptoms of severe anxiety such as shortness of breath or a racing heart, you might have phone anxiety. Telephobia—the fear of making or answering phone calls—is common among those withsocial anxiety disorder(SAD).and sometimes reflects other issues regarding interaction with others.
Symptoms of Phone Anxiety
You might have phone anxiety if you:
Physical symptoms of phone anxiety may include:
Although answering the phone and making calls may seem like a simple task that everyone should be able to do, it is terrifying for those who have phone anxiety. This fear can be disruptive to both your personal andprofessional lives, so taking it seriously is important.
Not all people who are afraid to use the phone have SAD. Some people simply are more comfortable in direct social interactions where they can read non-verbal cues such asfacial expressions.
Treatment for Phone Anxiety
Treatmentfor phone anxiety can include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques such ascognitive restructuringandexposure training, along with self-help strategies.
Cognitive Restructuring
Cognitive restructuring involves challenging beliefs and replacing negative thoughts with more constructive alternatives.
For example, if you constantly worry that you will bother the other person when making a phone call, cognitive restructuring might have you consider the evidence that this is actually true.
Why would the person answer the phone if he was too busy? Why would he have asked you to call if he didn’t want to talk to you? Eventually, you would reach the conclusion that it is unlikely you are bothering the other person or that he doesn’t want to speak with you.
Exposure Training
Exposure training involves the gradual practice of progressively more difficult behaviors . In the case of phone anxiety, ahierarchy of fearsmight look something like the one below (listed from easiest to most difficult). Each behavior is practiced until you are comfortable and can move on to the next most difficult one.
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Sample Hierarchy for Phone Anxiety
Below is an example hierarchy for someone who gets nervous interacting over the phone:
Your hierarchy might differ, depending on whether you find friends or strangers more difficult to talk to, and whether talking on the phone in front of someone else is more stressful than when you’re alone.
For the best possible outcome, practice cognitive-behavioral techniques under the supervision of atrained therapist. If meeting with a CBT counselor isn’t possible, or if you have already participated in CBT and are looking for additional ways to cope, try the following strategies.
The Takeaway
Phone anxiety is problematic, but these coping strategies can help. If your fear of making and receiving phone calls extends to social interaction in general or into other areas of your life, however, consider consulting a mental health professional. They can offer effective treatment that helps you communicate and interact without fear.
Situations That Can Trigger Anxiety
4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gao Y, Li A, Zhu T, Liu X, Liu X.How smartphone usage correlates with social anxiety and loneliness.PeerJ. 2016;4:e2197. Published 2016 Jul 12. doi:10.7717/peerj.2197Verbeke W, Bagozzi RP.Sales Call Anxiety: Exploring What It Means When Fear Rules a Sales Encounter. J Marketing 2000;64:88-101. doi:10.1509%2Fjmkg.64.3.88.18032Ruggiero GM, Spada MM, Caselli G, Sassaroli S.A Historical and Theoretical Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies: From Structural Self-Knowledge to Functional Processes.J Ration Emot Cogn Behav Ther. 2018;36(4):378–403. doi:10.1007/s10942-018-0292-8Craske MG, Treanor M, Conway CC, Zbozinek T, Vervliet B.Maximizing exposure therapy: an inhibitory learning approach.Behav Res Ther. 2014;58:10–23. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.04.006Additional ReadingMcCabe RE, Swinson R.Psychotherapy for Specific Phobia in Adults. UpToDate.com.Romm C. The Cut.Psychologists Explain Your Phone Anxiety and How to Get Over It.
4 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gao Y, Li A, Zhu T, Liu X, Liu X.How smartphone usage correlates with social anxiety and loneliness.PeerJ. 2016;4:e2197. Published 2016 Jul 12. doi:10.7717/peerj.2197Verbeke W, Bagozzi RP.Sales Call Anxiety: Exploring What It Means When Fear Rules a Sales Encounter. J Marketing 2000;64:88-101. doi:10.1509%2Fjmkg.64.3.88.18032Ruggiero GM, Spada MM, Caselli G, Sassaroli S.A Historical and Theoretical Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies: From Structural Self-Knowledge to Functional Processes.J Ration Emot Cogn Behav Ther. 2018;36(4):378–403. doi:10.1007/s10942-018-0292-8Craske MG, Treanor M, Conway CC, Zbozinek T, Vervliet B.Maximizing exposure therapy: an inhibitory learning approach.Behav Res Ther. 2014;58:10–23. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.04.006Additional ReadingMcCabe RE, Swinson R.Psychotherapy for Specific Phobia in Adults. UpToDate.com.Romm C. The Cut.Psychologists Explain Your Phone Anxiety and How to Get Over It.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Gao Y, Li A, Zhu T, Liu X, Liu X.How smartphone usage correlates with social anxiety and loneliness.PeerJ. 2016;4:e2197. Published 2016 Jul 12. doi:10.7717/peerj.2197Verbeke W, Bagozzi RP.Sales Call Anxiety: Exploring What It Means When Fear Rules a Sales Encounter. J Marketing 2000;64:88-101. doi:10.1509%2Fjmkg.64.3.88.18032Ruggiero GM, Spada MM, Caselli G, Sassaroli S.A Historical and Theoretical Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies: From Structural Self-Knowledge to Functional Processes.J Ration Emot Cogn Behav Ther. 2018;36(4):378–403. doi:10.1007/s10942-018-0292-8Craske MG, Treanor M, Conway CC, Zbozinek T, Vervliet B.Maximizing exposure therapy: an inhibitory learning approach.Behav Res Ther. 2014;58:10–23. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.04.006
Gao Y, Li A, Zhu T, Liu X, Liu X.How smartphone usage correlates with social anxiety and loneliness.PeerJ. 2016;4:e2197. Published 2016 Jul 12. doi:10.7717/peerj.2197
Verbeke W, Bagozzi RP.Sales Call Anxiety: Exploring What It Means When Fear Rules a Sales Encounter. J Marketing 2000;64:88-101. doi:10.1509%2Fjmkg.64.3.88.18032
Ruggiero GM, Spada MM, Caselli G, Sassaroli S.A Historical and Theoretical Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies: From Structural Self-Knowledge to Functional Processes.J Ration Emot Cogn Behav Ther. 2018;36(4):378–403. doi:10.1007/s10942-018-0292-8
Craske MG, Treanor M, Conway CC, Zbozinek T, Vervliet B.Maximizing exposure therapy: an inhibitory learning approach.Behav Res Ther. 2014;58:10–23. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.04.006
McCabe RE, Swinson R.Psychotherapy for Specific Phobia in Adults. UpToDate.com.Romm C. The Cut.Psychologists Explain Your Phone Anxiety and How to Get Over It.
McCabe RE, Swinson R.Psychotherapy for Specific Phobia in Adults. UpToDate.com.
Romm C. The Cut.Psychologists Explain Your Phone Anxiety and How to Get Over It.
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