I hate hallway interactions so much. I even enjoy talking to people and socializing. Put me in a bar with the same people I pass in the hallway and we'll have a nice chat, but as soon as they are in the hallway I'm so nervous and tense.

I think it's the situation being undefined and I don't want to bother people if they have somewhere to go

Being a theater kid has made it easier to deal with the generalized anxiety, but it's always there lingering in the background.

If I'm not able to talk in a given moment, I just tell people politely: "I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now." Then I wish them a good day and move on. People respond very well to this as long as you're not an asshole about it.

Reminds me of the Klingon mental health post.

there's two types of anxiety, which i call flowing anxiety and static anxiety.

• static anxiety is when there's a thousand small fears that worry you.
• flowing anxiety is when you overwork yourself so much that the brain cannot handle the situations anymore that would otherwise be un-threatening. called that way because it happens when you are in active movement, thus exhausted.