Face Your FOMO
One way is to swop FOMO for JOMO, the “joy of missing out.”
More and more, people are realizing that true joy that can come from not caring what other people are doing, not feeling envious and not being afraid that they’re missing out on anything.
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FOMO is a form of social anxiety — a compulsive concern that one might miss an opportunity or satisfying event, often aroused by posts seen on social media websites.
An envious definition: wishing you had what another person has, which can be a possession, an experience, etc.
FOMO is not just wondering what other people think of your experiences and choices that you post on social media.
FOMO forms when you begin to compare yourself and your experiences to others and start to actually become scared that you are missing out on something.
- Accept Your Status. Admit that you feel like you might be missing the next awesome thing.
- Realize You’re Looking at the Greatest Hits. Everyone else only shares his or her biggest hits as well. It’s also good to remember that it’s extremely easy to manipulate “reality.”
- Disconnect. Turn off notifications for your social apps. If there is a person in particular who sets your FOMO on fire, don’t be afraid to unfollow that person to save your sanity.
- Live in the Present. Make a list of all the things you wish you had time for: learning a new language, finally reading the book club selection, volunteering.
So get out there and start living your life, and while you’re at it, practice some JOMO.
The emotion at the root of FOMO is fear. Fear is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
For some, FOMO actually becomes very serious and contributes to anxiety and depression. If you are experiencing depression and/or anxiety, seek professional help.
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Looking at social media for happiness is a bad idea. You won’t find it out there. Your happiness is determined by how you allocate your attention. What you attend to drives your behavior and it determines your happiness.
Changing behavior and enhancing happiness is as much about withdrawing attention from the negative as it is about attending to the positive.
When you feel FOMO coming on, remind yourself that practically every image you see on practically any screen is likely misleading.
The human experience depicted by the media is never the whole truth — and often an outright lie.
What you see online is a groomed and sanitized image of someone else’s life. Measuring the entirety of your life against this cherry-picked peek of another’s is a recipe for feeling inadequate.