"Angst"

You're 14, and you just realized you've bought the wrong kind of sneakers. Or your 24, and you don't know what you're doing with your life. Angst is German for "anguish" and signifies psychological suffering. The word is sometimes prefaced by "existential," which gives it a deeper, more troubled tone. If you suffer from existential angst, you don't need the sneakers to turn you into an anguished puddle. The mere fact of existing in this world is torment enough.