CMV: Sending a vague “can we talk” message without context is unnecessary stress and kind of manipulative

I feel like we collectively agreed that anxiety is a thing, but somehow nobody updated their texting habits. Every time someone sends me just "hey, can we talk later" with no other info, my stomach drops. My brain starts speedrunning every interaction from the last month trying to guess what I did wrong. Nine times out of ten it ends up being something tiny or even positive, but I spent hours in a wierd panic spiral for nothing.

To me this feels a bit disrespectful of other peoples headspace. I am not asking for a whole novel in text. Just something like "can we talk later about the project" or "about this weekend" or even "nothing bad, just want your advice on sth". That one extra line changes the whole emotional cost of the message. Without it, it feels like the sender is offloading their urgency onto me, while staying completely comfortable on their side.

People often say, I dont want to type it all out, I prefer to talk in person. Which is fine. But adding six more words is not that much effort compared to the hours someone might spend worrying. In some cases it almost feels like soft power. You create tension so the other person comes into the conversation already on the back foot. I dont think most people intend harm, but effect still matters.

Change my view. Is there a good reason to keep sending totally context free "can we talk" messages, especially to friends or partners who you know are prone to anxiety Or am I right that basic emotional consideration should include at least a tiny bit of context

Posted Dec 1, 2025, 3:59 AM UTC

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