I think it’s safe to say that at least one point in everyone’s live, they’ve experienced some
form of FOMO, which is “fear of missing out”. I’ve experienced this most likely when it’s an
event I know that some of my friends may have gotten invited to, where I haven’t. Even if
it’s something I’ve been invited to, I could’ve declined a social event because I was busy or
because I was tired, however I still get extreme FOMO from not being at an event I declined.
Over the years, I’ve compiled these methods in order to help me get over FOMO; not to say
I don’t still have it, but it’s a lot better than what it used to be.
- Limiting your time on social media
This one’s a bit difficult, however not watching peoples’ stories when I know they’re
going out has heavily helped me to lessen my FOMO. FOMO aside, sometimes
scrolling through a bunch of different peoples’ stories and Instagram posts can
become extremely overwhelming, so by limiting social media and focusing on your
life in real time, helps you to focus on your life and appreciate yourself, rather than
what other peoples’ lives and experiences.
If your FOMO ever gets bad from social media but you can’t find yourself to delete it,
Instagram and Snapchat have “mute stories” options when you don’t want to see
peoples’ posts that you know will cause you FOMO. - Creating your own experiences
If it’s the case that you’re getting FOMO from the same group of people, then take it
as a sign to start creating your own experiences. For example, you can take yourself
to the cinema, go on a nature walk, go shopping or try a restaurant that you’ve been
meaning to try out for a while. Solo dates are a great way to spend time with
yourself, and also to get comfortable with the idea that sometimes, people won’t
always be available to hang out with you, as maybe they’re creating their own
experiences too. - Listening to your intuition
Sometimes you’ve gone somewhere that you knew you wouldn’t enjoy, and it’s
important to learn that you don’t have to say yes to everything you’re invited to,
despite what your FOMO may tell you. Listening to your intuition and verbalising to
friends that you don’t necessarily want to do something, means that you’re valuing
your time and yourself more. No means no, and you don’t have to elaborate on why
you don’t want to go to a certain event.
Although it may be difficult at first, listening to your intuition over time allows you to
not get tempted by things you don’t want to do, and over time you won’t want to do
these things anymore. - Speaking to someone about your FOMO
It may not seem like it, but it’s likely that there’s someone you know that has the
same level of FOMO as you, or potentially even more FOMO than you. Speaking
about your experiences with friends instead of bottling up your feelings may do you
some good, and also letting your friends know how you feel might incline them to
start being more considering when inviting you to places.
If your FOMO is inducing severe anxiety or depression, using therapy or speaking to
a support and wellbeing officer may be a better option, especially because these
methods will help you to get a better sense, as well as alleviate symptoms of anxiety
and depression.