In college, and even high school, the fear of missing out, otherwise known as FOMO, is very real and very prevalent. Ask around and most teens and young adults will admit to having it. For awhile, so did I, but now I can confidently say I do not have the fear of missing out one bit.
In high school, I always did things Friday-Sunday, whether that was hanging out with friends, going to parties, or playing in volleyball tournaments. I was constantly surrounded by my friends, always doing something, even if I was tired, or had homework to do, or had to study for a big test. I always wanted to be with them because I was afraid of missing out on something. I was afraid I would go home and then something would happen, or a last minute party would spring up or everyone was going to go to a movie and that I wouldn’t be able to go.
I think a lot of this stemmed from the fact I lived over half an hour away from everyone else I went to school with. For me, I couldn’t do spontaneity because I always needed at least 30 minutes to drive there, so I would always end up staying with friends over the weekends. Granted, 30 minutes is not a long time, but when everyone lives within a few square miles, it makes a difference. Anyway, not the point. The point is that I, like so many others, felt this fear that I would miss out on things by staying home.
Flash forward to my first year of college, when FOMO is typically at an all time high. I was surprised to find myself decreasing my FOMO with every passing weekend. I found myself starting not to care if things happened without me, or if my friends went to a party that I didn’t, because I started to realize that I wasn’t really missing out on anything that I actually wanted to do. Now, in my second year, I feel as if I have absolutely no FOMO.
It was hard to overcome the constant thought of people are having fun without me, especially with Snapchat being so prevalent, but once you come to terms with the fact that you do not have to attend every hangout or party, your life will get significantly better. If you don’t really want to attend an event or go somewhere with your friends, don’t. You wont miss out on anything, and will have a better time doing something you actually want to do.
The truth is, no one cares what you do — party, don’t party, whatever it may be, no one really cares, so you should do what you want, and not care about what you see others doing on Snapchat and Instagram. I guarantee that what you see online is nothing like what actually happened in real life, so don’t let it get to you. Once you start living your life without the thought in the back of your mind telling you that you are missing out on something, life starts to look a lot better and a lot less stressful. Trust me.