FOMO: What is and how to deal with it
Have you ever heard of the term FOMO? It stands for Fear of Missing Out, and it refers to the feeling of anxiety or unease that comes with the thought of missing out on a social event or that you might not be living your life to the fullest. It’s a common feeling that most people experience at some point in their lives, but it has become more prevalent in recent years with the rise of social media.
FOMO is a real phenomenon that affects many people, particularly those who spend a lot of time on social media as these platforms are designed to showcase the best of people’s lives, and constantly seeing that can leave some people with a sense of inadequacy and envy when they feel they’re missing out on the fun.
One of the main reasons this has become so common is due to the constant stream of information that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Social media, in particular, provides us with instant access to what our friends and peers are doing, where they are traveling, and what they are achieving and, as we all know, people tend not to show the negatives and the least exciting periods of their lives on social media. We know it but it’s really hard not to end up comparing our life with those we see online and this constant comparison can lead to negative feelings of insecurity and fear of not doing enough with your life.
While FOMO can be a powerful motivator that encourages people to be more social and try new things, it can also have negative effects on mental health. Constantly feeling like you’re missing out can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues that can deeply affect us and our ability to live our day-to-day life.
So, how can we overcome FOMO or at least reduce its impact on our lives? Here are a few tips:
Limit social media use: One of the easiest ways to overcome FOMO is to limit the amount of time you spend on social media platforms and, consequently, to the collection of only positives and highs in the lives of others you follow. This can help reduce the constant stream of information and the pressure to keep up with what others are doing. If you feel like it, take some time off of it. I did it in the past when I felt it was really getting to me and it worked wonders. If you don’t feel like you need that “much”, you can just define some limits like only getting into your socials at the end of the day for a limited time, or making rules like “no phone before 12pm” and things like that (I am working on implementing this too, I never go on IG in before my first work break and it is helping me a lot not beginning my day with doom scrolling).
Focus on your own goals: Instead of spending your time comparing yourself to others, focus on your own goals and aspirations. Set achievable goals for yourself, break them into smaller short-term goals, and start defining a plan for achieving them. Then you can start working towards them, regardless of what others are doing. I believe that if you are completely focused on your own goals and executing all the steps you defined in your plan, then you won’t even have time to compare your life to the life of others :)
Practice gratitude: Take a moment each day to appreciate what you have and the experiences you’ve had. This will help shift your focus from what you’re missing out on to what you have in your life. Try setting some time aside at night to just sit down, reflect and write down the good things that happened. When doing this, be sure to not only focus on the big positives but on the small positives as well. For example, if one day you get a raise at work, you will probably have that instantly in your mind when writing the good things down, but in those days you don’t have those situations, you also have positives, you just need to start giving them the value that they’re worth. Being healthy, having a roof over your head, having people with you…so many good things we take for granted, but we need to start looking at those as something that not everyone has the privilege to have!
Be present: When you are out with friends or family, try to be present in the moment and enjoy the experience. Avoid checking your phone or thinking about what you could be doing instead, avoid commenting on what others are or aren’t doing, and just appreciate the moment you are living. A tip I have for you that could help you not only to be more present but to also practice gratitude is meditation. Give it a try and keep consistent with it for a while, I’m sure you won’t regret it!
That’s it for now! As you can see, FOMO is a real phenomenon that affects many people and has many impactful and negative effects on our mental health, but it is possible to overcome it. If you implement a few rules in your life and you start shifting your focus, you will be able to reduce the anxiety and unease that comes with the fear of missing out. I have these tips that work for me, but this is not all you can do and you can find specific things that work for you and then build your plan on to that.
I hope I could help and that I could contribute to easing the effects of FOMO you’re feeling if that’s your case. And remember, life is not a competition, and everyone experiences life at their own pace and rythm.
XOXO,
Bárbara