Crunch crunch aargh

Sometimes I cannot stand the sound of people chewing. It sets me absolutely on edge. Most of the time I'm okay, and if there are other noises going on around me then I can usually tune out the sound. There are days, however, when I have trouble being around people while they are eating. I remember times living at home when it would be all I could do to stay at the supper table while people ate. In my younger years I would try to discretely cover my ears to block the sound, though I'm not sure how easy it is to eat while covering both ears and be subtle about it. No one ever commented, though, so I wonder if I was more successful than I thought. Today my roommate came home and started eating carrots, and I'm now in a bit of a bad mood and feeling very anxious.
That's what I mean when I say it sets me on edge. I get completely tense and anxious, which only amplifies the sound. It becomes all I can hear until it seems like the only sound in the world is other people chewing. And then I hear myself chewing and it only makes matters worse.
The icing on the cake is chewing on the phone. If I am talking on the phone to someone while they are eating something, it is all I can do to not hang up on them, which was particularly bad when it was my boss who was doing it (ALL the time - every time I talked to him he seemed to be eating)(and it's not you Darrell)(I know another guy named Darrell, in case anyone wonders why I was just talking to myself)(not that that's out of character for me).
I don't know why I hate the sound so much, and I wish I could let it go, but during those times when I'm noticing it, it really is all I can think about at that moment. Even just sitting here writing about it has raised my angst level by at least two. TWO!
Most of the time, luckily, I'm okay. I don't usually notice the sound of people chewing, and if there is noise around me, i.e. people talking or music/tv playing, I can ignore it even when I notice it, which is good because I'm not sure how I'd eat if it were otherwise.
I just realised that I have a bowl of ice cream with bananas on top sitting beside me. I am now nervous about eating it.
While I debate on whether to try eating my ice cream, why don't you check out the next the next chapter at www.graspthenettle.blogspot.com. You won't be sorry, I promise.