Do you cringe when the phone rings?

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I think for me the biggest problem I have with phones ringing is that I associate the sound with the amount of energy I must expend to talk to others. When I work in jobs where I have to answer the phone all day and deal with the public, I cringe at the sound of a phone when I get home from work. In my early twenties, I learned this was a problem for me. I would return home from work as an administrative assistant and beg my mother to tell people I was not home when they would call. Even though I knew I would not have to talk to anyone until I chose to do so, I would still cringe when the phone would ring because I was so overwhelmed by the amount of energy I had put out talking to people the whole afternoon.

What keep me from cringing when the phone rings?
* Not having a home phone (it sounds like work when it rings...eek!!).
* Working in jobs that do not have constant phone contact, or that have phone contact that I can pace according to how I feel.
* Having a cell phone with a ring tone that is comforting. It helps me separate the sound of work and customers from the sound of home and friends.
* Caller ID. It helps me emotionally differentiate between people I want to talk to and people I would otherwise be "forced" to talk to if I did not know who was on the other end.

I always get all nervous on the phone but I have been improving recently. I still prefer text based communication, though.

Phones, animals, Chinese Car honking popular here in China. Here I am enjoying a nice walk, with my mind in my head, then I hear all this obnoxious honking, as drivers have a pi--ing contest for just a small 5 cm spot (5 cars usually contest). I love how they hold the horn and it makes a Vuvuzela sound like a sexy Diva.

i have my phone set to ring once before the message bank intercepts it.

I usually set mine to vibrate - and then leave it somewhere around the house, so I find out someone called me 4 hours later, when I happen to walk by and pick it up. Assuming that I think to look for missed calls, that is! I'm worse about checking texts, though. Someone sent me a Happy Thanksgiving text on 25 Nov, and I didn't see it until 9 Dec!

A phone (or doorbell) ringing is a sound from hell. Not because of the sound itself, but it represents a forced interaction with someone else RIGHT NOW!! !! !! !! !!. I cuss under my breath every time I have to hear one of those summons.

Charles

I have actually quit answering the door if the person only knocks once. Especially if I am not expecting anyone! Usually the only people who knock on my door, are delivery people who will give one courtesy knock and then leave the package, Jehovah's Witnesses whom I am perfectly entitled to ignore, and people who have gotten the wrong address. Whenever someone does knock, my heart rate kicks into high gear and I nearly have a panic attack!

Yes, I hate that sudden ringing sound, like a high pitched squawk from a parrot. And then I'll have to awkwardly talk to someone that I usually don't know. Then I will probably forget to pass the message on anyway.

When the phone rings I always almost jump, especially if I'm right next to it.

Oh yes. Like some others mentioned, I see it as an intrusion (unless I was expecting the call ahead of time). I also feel as though I'm intruding on others by calling them.

I had a telemarketing job once and was absolutely fine with reciting my script to strangers over the phone all day long. The only draw back was that, if I wasn't paying attention, I tended to start personal conversations off with the same script. (You don't know how many times I answered my personal phone with "Thanks for calling ____, this is....oh crap, I'm not at work...")

I hate talking on the phone, especially if I don't know who is calling. I don't answer my cell phone if it's a number I don't recognize.