phone help. any suggestions?

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i really hate the phone. especially the cell. because the reaction time is so delayed. i'd rather drive over to a person's house to talk to them instead of calling them.

i think that i've actually developed a kind of phobia about it -- deliberately forgetting it so i don't have to answer.

any ideas for getting past this?

That sounds annoying at the very least. What would you like to be able to do? To be able to speak on the phone or to find alternatives?

mostly to talk on the phone. I have enough alternatives in place. I'm overusing those.

Have you got a friendly person to practice with?
Either on a phone, or the two of you on either side of a wall, by a doorway, so you can hear each other, but not see each other. The rule is that you have to wait 2 seconds after the other person finishes before you can speak. Just trying to think of ideas.

I despise talking on the phone. Most people who know me stick to texting, the best way to communicate with me! I can only suggest texting as an option for you, but that is only helpful if the people calling you use cells...

well, i've got a small plan. please don't laugh. I'm going to knit myself (see the username) a phone caddy that I really like. So I have it *on* me.

the whole piece of machinery drives me nuts because I press a button and it doesn't do what it's supposed to. It won't answer. Or it's magically turned off. Or something ridiculous like that. It's such a headache. I hate to be disturbed when I'm talking to a live person or listening to music or a podcast or when I'm in the store. When it rings, I have to go someplace else to answer it because I have to concentrate so hard. I can talk to my mom on the phone because . . . well, I know how she talks and when I'm supposed to talk back. It's normal. My dad (also an aspie) has trouble on the phone as well. And my brother (another Aspie) is nearly impossible to talk with on the phone. In fact, come to think of it, I only like to talk to my mother on the phone. My husband only talks for a short time and is matter-of-fact, so I can handle that.

when i *have* to call someone -- like the doctor or the hairdresser or tech support -- I find a quiet room and lock the door. I get a piece of paper out in case I need to write something down. And I practice in my head about how the whole conversation'll go. ACK.

I'm so exhausted after that!! I need a nap.

I really hate being disturbed. People just scold me when I try to explain this. "You need to just fight that." Grrrr. It's not a question of fighting! It's a question of having a plan. I just need a plan. I just need new habits.

I really hate the guilt trip that people lay on me. Now I'm just raving, I guess. But I hate it.