Remember Your Telephone is YOUR Tool.

​I saw a social media meme the other day that was joking about how we used to answer the phone, which had only one ring tone--RING--without any idea of who was on the other side waiting to speak to us AND we SOMEHOW survived! I had to "ROFLOL!"

​I also saw one that showed a phone receiver dangling in the air, hanging by its chord from the phone on the wall and it said, "This is how I used to block someone from calling me!"
Again, I had to "ROFLOL!"
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I recall many people I knew thinking "back in the day" that taking the phone off the hook or not answering once we had caller ID and could see who was calling were just awful things to do. I was never one of them. Even then, I knew that a telephone was MY tool, not the other way around!

So many of us with FMS hate talking on the phone. (It is exhausting, stressful, and draining to most of us, but that’s another post on another day!) Guess what? You do NOT have to! A telephone is a tool for YOU to control. Do not let it control you instead.

I personally talk to my husband, parents, children, siblings, and a few friends that I know do not text or who would not opt to call me unless they really needed to. Other than that, everyone else knows to text me if they want to reach me. In fact, if my friends see my name come up on their caller id, they answer with, “What’s wrong?” because they know I do not talk on the phone.

Out of necessity, I do accept business calls, but I have the numbers programmed in my phone so I know who is calling. I do not answer just any number that comes up. To deal with all other calls, I even frequently have my voicemail greeting say, “If you need to contact me, please text me, and I will reply when I can” It does offend some people, but most adjust quickly.
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Do not feel guilty! You have the right to control who you speak to, when you speak to them, and to communicate in alternative ways. Actually, considering the fact that nearly everyone has a cell phone, tablet, etc. with them at all times, most people have decided that their phone is a tool for them to control, not the other way around. Those of us with FMS are not the only ones!

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