schwellenangst means A fear of, or aversion to, crossing a threshold or entering a place to begin a new chapter. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why “schwellenangst” is a great word
SCHWELLENANGST — [Noun] A specific anxiety or dread associated with crossing a threshold, whether a physical doorway or the figurative precipice of a new endeavor. Borrowed from German Schwellenangst, from Schwelle ("threshold") + Angst ("anxiety, fear"). Unlike procrastination, which denotes a general postponement, or agoraphobia, a clinical fear of inescapable situations, Schwellenangst describes the paralysis that settles in at the very brink of commencement. It is the chilled draft beneath a closed door, the cursor blinking in the empty field of a crucial email, the foot that will not lift from the familiar station platform—the body’s visceral protest against the irrevocable geography of what comes after.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Schwellenangst, from Schwelle (“threshold”) + Angst (“anxiety”).
noun
- A fear of, or aversion to, crossing a threshold or entering a place to begin a new chapter.“The inquiry also proves that a considerable number of people suffer from what is called "Schwellenangst", i. e., marked disinclination to visit a book shop unless they are quite sure of what title they want to buy.”