iAnxiety

I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love and abundance.  Then, whenever doubt, anxiety or fear try to call me, they keep getting a busy signal - and soon they'll forget my number.  ~Edith Armstrong

If The Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me. 
~Song title by Jimmy Buffet

I love my iPhone for so many reasons, but the fact that it's a telephone is my least favorite feature. When I tell people I have phone anxiety, I mean it sincerely. It's incomprehensible for most people though, and they just don't believe it. The photo above is a "screen shot" of my iPhone as of 3:21 pm today.

See that number in the red bubble at the edge of the Phone icon in the bottom row? That means I have twenty-five voicemail messages (also known as the point of critical mass) that I have yet to listen to. I had a degree of anxiety back when that number was just three, and I really considered listening to them, or at least viewing the list to see who might have called. I managed to overcome that fleeting thought easily, and did neither.

Soon, the number was eleven. Then eighteen, then twenty-one and now here we are at twenty-five. There's now zero chance I will review the list, even though I'm waiting for a call to tell me my glasses are ready at Costco, the touch-up painters want to put me on the schedule, and I don't know what else could be lurking there. Heaven forbid, maybe someone just wants to say hi. My strategy will be to call Costco, the painters and check my email for someone who says, "I tried to call, but..."

I downloaded a hypnosis tape for phone anxiety a few years ago (there are several to choose from, apparently I'm not alone). That night, I went to bed with the headphones on and listened to it ONE TIME as I fell asleep. The next morning my phone rang, and it was a telephone number I didn't recognize (of course I have Caller ID). In my imaginary rule book, that's listed under "Calls Which Should Never Be Answered Under Any Circumstances."

Guess what? I picked up!!! I don't remember who it was (probably because I was startled by the fact that I heard my own voice saying "Hello?"). I do remember that it was a telemarketer. I never listened to that tape again. Apparently phone anxiety is "curable."

I'm just not interested in being so openly available (in real time anyway) to complete strangers and solicitors, even at the expense of missing a call from loved ones (who all know enough to text or email me anyway).

Notice now, if you will, the Mail icon at the far right in that same row, which shows zero unread emails. I read and process them all...even though I often don't reply to them either. But, the information has been delivered, my eyes have scanned their contents and hopefully my brain processed and stored the data somewhere.

On a similar note, I've never activated the ability to leave "comments" on this blog and I've received a few emails from nice people wishing that they could post a comment after reading something here. So, no pressure, but it is now an option to leave a comment.

Talk to you soon.

P.S. Just got off the phone with Costco....my glasses are ready. "We left a message two days ago," he said.