Imagine you are walking down the sidewalk and you trip. There would be a mild anxiety reaction and you’d recover quickly.

Now, imagine you were walking two feet from the edge of a cliff and you tripped. You would be terrified, and your body would go into complete panic.

Now, imagine a time when you were feeling pretty good—things were going well—and someone you love left dishes on the table or you were stuck in traffic. These situations were mild irritants.