I've been struggling with a really strange problem since I was about 8 years old. The sound of other people chewing, chomping, slurping, swallowing, etc. sets me on the verge of freaking out. Not merely annoyance, but an actual freak-out. I'm normally a really calm, polite, kind, and tolerant person, so this has really had me puzzled for years.

Any time I'm in a quiet room with people that are eating even a little bit loudly I feel a sense of either anger or panic welling up inside me. I literally cannot control it. It's completely irrational. I've learned to control my reactions, but it sometimes gets to a point that I have to excuse myself to allow my blood pressure to normalize. It can sometimes be really bad...especially if I'm already on-edge because of other stressors.

Not too long ago I decided to do some research on the subject, and what I found was surprising and a bit of a relief. Apparently, this might be a caused by a disorder called "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia." Some experts believe it's a neurological disorder related to tinnitus. Since this discovery I've found that a LOT of other people suffer from the same reaction to certain types of soft, repetitious sounds. The sound of eating is the most common, but some people have the same reaction to sounds like sniffling and typing on a keyboard. It doesn't help much in dealing with the symptoms, but it was a huge relief to find out that so many other people suffer from the same problem.

Does anyone else here have symptoms like these? If so, have you heard of this condition, and does it make you feel better that you're not alone?

Laughing, talking and whistling.

Indifferent. No, I had not heard of it.

That stuff irritates me too, and half my immediate family chews with their mouth open doubling the sound. Even my GF does this (open mouth chewing). Even similar sounds bother me and make me feel slightly ill.

Thank goodness for restaurant music though.

It's not just irritation, though, it's an uncontrollable fight-or-flight response. There were times when I was younger that I flipped out on family members at the dinner table out of nowhere, leaving them staring at me like I'd just grown a second head.

I've never heard about that condition. I sometimes find it a little bit annoying when people chew, slurp or chomp really loudly, but never to the point where I've had to leave the room to calm down. OTOH, I do have tinnitus - had it for almost two years now. I have days where the ringing is almost unnoticeable, and other days where it's really loud.

Things that make you go Hmmm....

Sniffling pisses me off. Not nearly enough to make me think I have misophonia.

But ugh, some people do it so loud, like they need to announce to the world their nose is stuffy. GOOD FOR YOU. The worst is when people feel the need to grunt or sigh after

The sound of loud footsteps in quiet places, like in a library, annoys me too. I just don't like when people obliviously break the silence.

I know this feeling. If people are doing it in a room I can't escape from, I literally have to plug my ears so I don't scream. I clench my teeth as well. I'd love to mention it to my doctor but I doubt they would believe me.

I've had this happen since I was a kid as well. Trust me, you aren't alone. T_T

Doesn't bother me at all. And I'm glad, otherwise I don't think I could enjoy this lovely song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7pkOZ5n6PQ

Hmmmm...interesting. I knew someone at school who hated being around people when they were eating, maybe he had this. Have you tried playing around with it? I mean recalling an unpleasant memory of people eating and making a note of all the aspects of the sound that bothered you, like loudness, direction, how close it sounded, pitch etc. Then try replaying it mentally but make changes like changing the volume, speed, distance etc. See if it feels different. Maybe try out recalling the sounds but adding other sounds at the same time that have totally different associations for you, a song or something. I know it sounds weird but negative associations aren't written in stone and it is possible to change them. With a bit of imagination.