Your best friends are watching a movie, one of your favourites, sitting on their couch in their apartment with buttered popcorn…without you, as you witness all of this through a screen, probably on Instagram. It’s horrible enough that the world is suffering through a pandemic where we are forced to stay at home, isolated from any social interactions— unless it’s over Zoom. But, it’s even harder when your friends are hanging out and you are literally unable to see them.
The “Fear Of Missing Out” or FOMO as it’s more commonly known, is a type of social anxiety that roots from the idea that other people may be having more fun, or experiencing better things than you are. FOMO can present itself in many forms, whether this is missing out on a party or not being selected for a sports team. This term has become popularized in the last five years due to the inherent desire for people to share every good moment of their lives. We are constantly put in a position of comparing our regular lives to the “perfect moments” of others. This confuses your understanding of what a normal life is and you automatically assume that you have it the worst.
That fear of missing out (or FOMO) is such a common feeling that is only amplified on social media. The Centre for Mental Health says that those emotions can be detrimental to one’s self esteem, and can even provoke feelings of resentment. According to Statista, social media usage has increased by 44% worldwide during the pandemic. This means that we are consuming content at an alarming rate. What is even worse is that you are looking at influencers and even at your closest friends who are posting pictures while on holiday in Dubai, or having under the radar parties.
The first way to tackle this issue is to recognize that everyone feels it. It’s universal! People are going to hang out without you all the time, but you must know that it does not have anything to do with you personally. Know that hanging out is endangering people’s lives and with you staying home, you’re helping us get closer to a more in-person life, a more normal reality.
Distract yourself. While it’s easy to tell someone to ignore an event without you, it’s hard to actually do it. Distracting yourself with other things makes it a lot easier. Take advantage of this time. Take up a hobby, or talk to a friend over facetime. What matters is that you have a good time hanging out with yourself.
We will eventually return to a state of normality and in the meantime, you can better prepare yourselves by building and enhancing your skills, talking to friends or even just watching your favourite TV show on repeat. This is a difficult time and making these minor changes can put things in perspective and relieve the anxiety of missing out. You can do it!