No one can deny that we all experience a certain level of FOMO. It’s evident when we are seemingly the only ones not at a party, a vacation or a sports game. The matter is made even worse when friends and family post about the events on their social media, further highlighting how much fun you’re missing out on. However, this doesn’t devalue your own experiences. There could have been a time where you were at an event that someone else missed. You could have gotten a promotion or been chosen for an executive position that someone else wanted. Being so involved in what other people are doing is detrimental to your own productivity, and this is how.
Individualism
Everyone has their own schedule and journey. Though it may look like someone is getting ahead of you, whether it is socially or academically, it’s important to consider that they have had losses as well as these highlighted successes. No one can possibly have a winning streak, even if it seems like it. Nobody shares the boring, negative parts of life on their social media, so you would never know if they were going through a rough patch. You wouldn’t post about a failed exam or your flight being cancelled, so how do you know if that didn’t happen to someone else. Think about the successes you have had in your life, and how it positively affected you, regardless if you shared it with anyone else. Success simply achieved for the sake of an image is never true success.
The detriment
Now how does this actually hold you back? You may notice that when you’re looking at the bikini beach pictures of your best friends in Mexico, you feel a mood shift. The simple things that usually make your day no longer feel all that great. The bus actually arrived on time, but your friends were eating seafood by the Gulf. You got a surprise free coffee from your accumulated points, but your friends were tanning on a yacht. Comparisons like these significantly affect our mental health, and do nothing but devalue our experiences. You may now feel the need to distance yourself from your friends because of the experience gap that summer. It can strain your relationship with them as you start to resent them instead of celebrate with them. You may lose motivation and feel dread for the already difficult tasks you have to complete that week.
Instead of comparing your life to someone else’s, recognize that we all have different goals and a different journey to achieve them. Positive experiences will come with time, so it’s important to focus on your own success rather than be distracted by what others are doing. You’ll be surprised by how much more free you will feel when you let go of that habit.
There is no such thing as being “lucky”. Good things come with time and patience, and I promise, they will come. You just have to continue working hard toward your goals and figure yourself out to no longer be trapped by the tiny little box that is FOMO.