There is so much going on tonight. The amount of bars that are serving $2 tequila shots and the amount of frats that are having parties are overwhelming. Your group chat is blowing up with the usual, “What do I wear?” and, “What time should we PG?” questions. It’s Thursday and you haven’t been out in a whopping four days. This is the perfect opportunity to have a good time.
Unfortunately, you have hours of history homework to finish, an English essay that's due on Monday, and a calculus exam tomorrow. Plus, you think that you destroyed your immune system by going out Thursday night, partying Friday, going out Friday night, partying Saturday, and going out again on Saturday night of last week. (Did you follow that?) Seriously, when will your stuffy nose go away? Anyway, you know that you shouldn’t go out. So, as a responsible young adult and college student, you stay in. Cue the FOMO.
What is FOMO, you ask? It's the fear of missing out. Similar to the common fears of spiders or the dark, FOMO is very real. What happens if you miss out on the best party of the year? What if something monumental happens and you’re not there to witness it? Staying in when your friends are going out is a real struggle. In order to truly understand FOMO, though, you have to break it down. So, I will give you an example of the chronology of this deadly condition (for your own benefit and entertainment, of course).
Monday
You receive your social schedule for the week via email. It's a killer line-up and you promise yourself that you won't miss anything.
Tuesday
You plan your outfit for the "Hunt or Be Hunted" themed mixer on Thursday. You're going to look so cute in that safari hat.
Wednesday
Your calc teacher reminds the class about the test on Friday (the one that you totally forgot about).
Wednesday Night
You try to study for calculus so that you can go out on Thursday night. However, you're still completely screwed for the test.
Thursday Afternoon
Your group chat is popping. Everyone is so excited for tonight! You know that it's not looking good for you, though. Each message is like a stab in the heart.
Thursday Night
You make the official decision to stay in and get your schoolwork done, even though you desperately want to go out. You text your friends, "Have fun tonight!" You feel like a bigger person and you're satisfied with yourself.
Then you look on Snapchat.
So you constantly refresh your Snapchat stories just to torture yourself.
Friday Morning
You look at the pictures that were posted on Facebook and you listen to your friends' stories about the night.
You're sad that you missed out on a great night, but your friends tell you that it wasn't the same without you.
The FOMO was a struggle, but you've realized that it's not the end of the world. I'm just kidding, it's not the end of the week.
