“FOMO: anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere,
often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.”
In other words, fear of missing out.
Growing up, I always had a fear that I was missing out on something. Being “popular” or partying, meeting new people or not knowing enough, having as much fun as other people: whatever it could be, I felt it.
Certain things would trigger it too, such as seeing a girl's Instagram post of all of her friends shopping or boating on a lake. They always looked gorgeous, and as always, they looked like they were having a blast.
Now that I’m out of high school and in college, my FOMO is almost nonexistent. The only time I really ever feel FOMO is when I’m in a social situation and think “Y’know, I could’ve watched 3 episodes of Broad City by now."
So how did I defeat my fear of missing out? I stopped caring about what everyone else was doing and became content with where I am. Okay, I know it’s easier said than done, but not caring about what other people were doing is one of the best things I’ve ever learned how to do.
Think about it: caring about what others are doing or how they’re living is not going to change your life at all.
So your old friend from high school spent SB in the Galapagos Islands. Who cares? It doesn’t affect you.
You saw on a girl's snap story that she's partying at a friend's house and you weren’t invited. So? 9 times out of 10, college parties suck anyways.
It’s all about being content with where you are and to realize that every picture you see on your friends wall usually isn’t that great of an experience.
Think about it: every time you take a picture with your friends, or maybe on a vacation with your family, you always try and make it as picture-perfect as possible. Not everything is as meets the eye, so don’t get caught up in other people’s lives because it looks cool. To be content with where you are and what you are doing is such an unbelievable power to have.
When I feel my FOMO coming on, I think about how I would really feel in that situation. For me, I don’t really enjoy parties. They’re usually hot, with poor music choices, too many hormones, and people constantly bumping into you. Me + sweaty + bad music = bad mood.
I get the same amount of joy and even more from just sitting in my room alone, reading a book or watching Hulu. So why would I waste the makeup, time to choose an outfit, use the gas and money to go to a nasty party that’s not even worthwhile?
I will admit, I do get FOMO with other things. When my mom posts pictures of her and my dad doing something fun, I definitely feel the FOMO. Hard.
You just have to realize what’s important and what’s not. To be content with where you are is to appreciate what you’ve been given and what you can do with where you are. So log out of Instagram. Chill with the tweets. Close the laptop. And cure your FOMO.
