Published on 12, July, 2020
finding these really stressful and avoiding. Any kind of phone call is really getting to me and so hard to try and avoid a complete meltdown. Any advice or anyone out there finding the same with phone calls?
Hi, Marisere. In terms of struggling on the phone, it depends on the circumstances and what state I'm in. Unexpected phone calls make me anxious and I feel incredibly nervous leading up to a phone call with a doctor/other medical professional. I sometimes struggle to process what people are telling me, or to say everything I need to say.
Do you live with anyone who could help you to take phone calls? For example, if you were able to tell your doctor that you'd like someone to speak on your behalf (with you present), they might agree to that.
If you don't have anyone to speak for/with you, it might be worth asking if your doctor would offer you video calls (if that's something you're a bit more comfortable with). You could also write down what you want to say before the call, then take notes while you're on the phone if you're worried about forgetting what the doctor's said. It's absolutely fine for you to ask them to pause while you write something down. You could also find out whether your doctor would be willing to summarise the information in a letter or an email, just in case you weren't able to take in the information over the phone.
In terms of trying to keep as calm as possible while on the phone, I sometimes find pacing helpful (rather than sitting still) or, if I'm feeling really overwhelmed, I'll sit under my weighted blanket and use a fidget toy.
Hope some of this helps.
Unfortunately I am on my own, I think pacing would work thanks! My brain tends to switch off when I'm comfortable physically lol :)
No problem Haha, mine does that too sometimes!