This stimulus is fairly innocuous. However, if you have anxiety, you may begin to experience racing thoughts, nervousness, and have trouble saying hello to them. Do your coworkers pose a threat? In this case, yes. There is no immediate threat or inherent danger — your colleagues aren’t about to run you over or attack you (probably). But if you, say, are concerned that they may be talking about you, you’re responding to the perceived threat. Your response is appropriate for what might happen, not what’s happening now.
