I never say **hello**, no need to start the day off badly. I just start with my last name or first name or, if I'm answering, " Ooh dis?" If worse comes to worse say " 'allo!" Why fight with an H early in the morning? no use. BTW, other countries don't say hello, you could start with Salam, shalom, pronto, bueno. and in Russia you don't even say anything. [https://www.netjeff.com/humor/item.cgi?file=HelloOnTelephoneWorldwide](https://www.netjeff.com/humor/item.cgi?file=HelloOnTelephoneWorldwide) If you want, you could make a game of it and answer with a different one every day to keep from developing the fear again since you say that you could say Hello before but now you can't.