FOMO: | fōmō | noun; 1. state of mental or emotional strain cause by the fear of missing out. 2. Evolutionary biology - an omnipresent anxiety brought on by our cognitive ability to recognize potential opportunities. 3. A form of social anxiety - a compulsive concern that one might miss an opportunity or satisfying event, often aroused by posts seen on social media websites.
ORIGIN: Acronym from FEAR OF MISSING OUT.
Our bodies crave stimulation. They want to be exposed to new experiences, people, surroundings, and ideas. Our brains are constantly looking for the next experience or thought to feel stimulated and connected to the world around them. And this is a great thing. Finding connections to the world around us is part of what makes living so exciting.
But sometimes our brains can't keep up with the demand of exciting and new. This happens because of FOMO, or the fear of missing out; and because we live in a time where social media reigns, we have a lot to compare our lives to. Many people deal with FOMO, and it leads us to question if we could be doing more with our lives. Our brains are sent into hyperdrive because of all the images and statuses boasting of everything fabulous happening in everyone else's lives. FOMO makes life a game of comparison, rather than satisfaction.
As a college student, it's easy to fear missing out on the exciting things happening in other's lives. It can happen on a small scale, like wondering if I should have gone to that one concert. Maybe I would have had a life-changing experience there, and I would have never been the same. But I'll never know because I didn't go. Or FOMO can happen on a much broader scale. My daily existential crisis has tinges of FOMO throughout the thought process. For example, I always think maybe I could feel more fulfilled in another career path. I'm happy now, but could I have been happier?
The fear of missing out happens in all areas of life. In small batches, the fear of missing out causes momentary sadness; and in large batches, it causes people to feel paralyzed and inadequate in daily life. Also, FOMO is a big reason for indecisiveness in everyday choices. Example: you're at the grocery store and can't decide between two kinds of ice cream. If you choose one, there's going to be the feeling that you're missing out on the other. Because maybe it tastes better than the one you're going to purchase.
FOMO also makes scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, etc. less than satisfying. While your friends are going on glamorous adventures, getting married, buying houses, you might just be sitting at home eating leftover Chinese and watching Netflix. And although social media is a "glamour reel" of mundane, normal life, it's made it so much easier to compare our life to someone else's, even if it's just subconsciously.
Chances are, you will miss out on those "glamorous" adventures as told by Instagram; but when you spend time dwelling on missing out on your friends' lives, you're spending time missing out on your own life. Every time we say "yes" because we're scared of missing out on something, we're also saying "no" to something else. The beautiful thing about everyone's journeys in life is that everyone's journey is unique and exciting in its own way. If you struggle with FOMO, here's some things you can do to help:
Focus
Focus on what's good in your life. Work on yourself. Practice what you want to be better. When I focus on the good in my life or take time to focus on my future and what I love to do, I'm more content and tend to forget about what I might be "missing out" on.
Find a stress reliever
Find creative ways to relieve the stress when you're feeling inadequate or behind in life. Write, paint, draw, dance, or shoot some hoops; whatever you need to do to clear your mind, vent, or blow some steam, just get out there and do it.
Find people
Be around people who want to enrich your life. With the right company, you can feel right where you need to be. Find the people that build you up, and help you strive to be better. Find your tribe, and it'll be hard to feel like you're missing out on anything.
