My mom has a condition where her mouth gets very dry. Frequently there is an almost clicking, peeling sound she makes when she parts her mouth or licks her lips or swallows or whatever. It’s kind of like…when you gently flick water in a bathtub.

When I am in the car with her and she does this every minute or so, I try so hard to keep it to myself. I don’t want to hurt her feelings by being so disgusted, but I find it viscerally enraging!!!!!

After an hour of trying to focus on the radio, I slammed my fist down on the arm rest and snapped at her to drink some fucking water. It looked 0 to 60 from her perspective. Chewing sounds bother me only sometimes, but for some reason my mom in particular makes me murderous.

What do you do in these moments where you can’t walk away and need to keep your reaction under wraps? Any cognitive-behavioral tips you’ve found helpful?