9 Signs You Have Texting Anxiety

I don't know when it happened, but I am such an anxious texter.

I overthink every single message I send, and I immediately assume that I've done something wrong if I don't receive a reply within minutes. It doesn't even matter who I'm texting. From a best friend to a new acquaintance, no interaction is free from my nonsensical scrutiny.

Wondering if you're cursed with the same affliction? Keep scrolling for nine signs you have texting anxiety.

You Read Every Message Multiple Times

There's no simplicity to sending a text message for you. Every text you type goes through multiple re-readings to ensure that it reflects the exact tone you're shooting for. Plus, you want to make sure it's completely devoid of any errors. Even if you don't make any changes, each message goes through a couple of read-throughs before you hit that "send" button.

(via Shutterstock)

 

You Overanalyze Punctuation

Should you put a period at the end of your message? Does that come across as passive-aggressive? How many "y's" can you add to your "hey" before it gets weird? Do you spell out every word or use the shorthand? If you find that overanalyzing punctuation is simply the norm for you, you're definitely afflicted with a bit of texting anxiety.

 

The Three Little Dots Freak You Out

There's nothing worse than seeing those three little dots that imply someone is crafting a response to your message. If they're up for too long, you start to overthink what the other person might be saying. If they appear and disappear, you immediately assume that your text was ridiculous and they can't even think of what to say to you. No matter the situation, the three little dots always spell dread for you.

 

You Assume the Worst When Someone Doesn't Respond

You do not take a lack of response well. Sure, it's frustrating when someone doesn't answer you, but logically it's probably due to the fact that they're busy or it slipped their mind. For us anxious texters, however, a lack of response pretty much communicates that the other person hates us. You feel stupid for sending a text in the first place. Obviously, they don't want to speak to you—now you've just embarrassed yourself by reaching out.

(The Fosters via Freeform)

 

You Have to Hype Yourself Up to Text First

Since you overanalyze the texts you send and immediately start freaking out at a lack of response, it takes a lot of effort for you to text first. As in, you spend quite a bit of time hyping yourself up and trying to minimize your own worries. You can't just shoot someone a text for the fun of it. Every first text you send requires at least ten minutes of convincing yourself that you're not annoying, and that you'll definitely receive a response at some point.

 

You Easily Misunderstand Other People's Messages

While your own texts go through quite a bit of scrutiny, other people's text messages are equally as prone to your overanalyzing tendencies. If the tone of the message is slightly off, you quickly convince yourself that the other person is definitely upset with you. They didn't add an extra "y" to their "hey"? They definitely hate you. And don't even get us started on the lack of exclamation points.

 

You Experience a Lot Of Text Regret

Text regret is pretty much a certainty for you, especially if you don't receive a reply. You're constantly asking yourself why you even bothered to send that text message. You're waiting for the day that you can unsend text messages like you can unsend Instagram DM's. It would just make your life, and your texting anxiety, so much better.

(Dear White People via Netflix)

 

You Avoid Your Phone After You Text Someone

If you finally get to the stage where you do send a text, you immediately decide to avoid your phone out of fear. You'll hop in the shower, put it on "Do Not Disturb," throw it across the room—basically anything to avoid seeing if they've actually replied. After all, you can't know if someone's ignoring you if you don't look for their response.

 

You Dread Texting

Since you have so many worries about texting, you honestly dread it. You try to avoid it as much as possible in an effort to quell your own anxieties. That means you're often very bad at responding, usually because you're internally freaking out about engaging in the actual process of texting. You'd much rather call someone and get an immediate response to all your questions, instead of waiting through the painstaking and nerve-racking process of a text conversation.

 

Want to know more about your texting personality? Click HERE for the type of texter you are, based on your zodiac sign.