It’s Saturday night and you’re laying in bed watching Netflix. It’s been a long week and you’re craving some much needed alone time. You’re scrolling through Instagram and looking at Snapchat stories to pass the time. After seeing over 25 stories of your friends hanging out and going to the bars, you start to question why you’re sitting in your room by yourself. Suddenly, staying at home doesn’t sound too appealing.
But do you really feel like going out? Or is the FOMO just too real?
Whether your friends are at a Drake concert, or are just grabbing ice cream at a local convenience store, you will most likely experience some kind of FOMO. FOMO stands for ‘fear of missing out’ and it’s the anxious feeling that you get when you feel like other people might be having a good time without you. If you aren’t too excited about your Saturday night plans and see a pic of your friends living their best lives, it’ll leave you feeling a bit salty.
We’re living in a world where it’s cool to broadcast every aspect of our lives online. Whether we’re eating at a restaurant, shopping downtown, or travelling to a foreign country, we don’t feel completely satisfied with our experiences without receiving other people’s approval. Social media creates a platform for bragging, which is neither healthy or productive as it’ll definitely lead you to wonder what you’re lacking.
FOMO is even prevalent in romantic relationships. You might catch yourself saying “yes” to a potential partner because all of your friends seem to be happy in their relationships. This is a RED FLAG ladies and gents. You gotta be willing to put yourself out there, but let the universe work its magic. Don’t force anything that isn’t meant to be and brush that FOMO feeling off to the side.
So, have you ever wondered what a FOMO-free life would feel like? Here are five ways to reduce FOMO in your life.
- Admit that you have FOMO.
-
Take a step back and ask yourself why you’re feeling left out. Do you really want to go to the club or do you just want to take an Instagrammable pic? Experiencing FOMO is normal – just make sure you catch those feelings early.
- Take a break from social media.
-
Social media cleanses are SO underrated. Instead of wasting your time scrolling through hundreds of pictures on Instagram, read a book, watch a movie, or spend some time on self-care.
- Find the joy in missing out.
-
Accept the fact that you sometimes can’t do it all! If you went out all the time you’d get sick of it. You need the time to decompress so that when you’re with your friends it seems extra special.
- Create a scrapbook or write in a journal.
-
Next time, instead of posting a pic online when you’re doing something fun, print out pics from the night and create a scrapbook filled with memories from the year. This will be your special keepsake that you will have forever and ever. If social media ever crashes, you’re going to be the one laughing because you’ll have all of your pics right in front of you :)
- Be happy for others – they’re allowed to have fun without you!
-
You can’t be everywhere at once. You’d get sick of your friends if you were with them 24/7, and you sometimes need that break in order to maintain healthy relationships.
XO