It only takes me a moment on Instagram or Facebook to begin to feel like my life is not nearly as enchanting or exciting as the next persons. There are lavish parties going on, dreamscape photoshoots of people in perfect eyeliner, and posts from the humanitarians out there like Beth Stern who save not one but ALL of the cats. I wish I could look glamorous all the time and save animals regularly! I wish I had all the funds to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, but it's just a fact that I'm a college student who is often exhausted and wearing my hair in a messy bun with heather grey sweats on.
The point of this is to say that real life is not always like what appears on social media.
FOMO is this description of angst, or the "Fear of Missing Out."
According to the dictionary, FOMO is provoked by social media. It's the anxiety associated with feeling as though your life isn't as fulfilling as someone else's because they constantly post this or that which makes you feel less than them and ordinary.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America's website claims that anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders that plague America, affecting 18 percent of the population or 40 billion adults over age 18. Given that only about a third of those suffering receive treatment, the number is likely much higher. Pair those statistics with the added stress that is caused by social media and you can see how FOMO is not just a colloquial word but a real issue grounded in fear that needs to be addressed by society as a whole. No one wants to feel left out.
Here's what you can do about it...
The first and most important thing is to practice mindfulness, living in the moment, and being thankful for what you do have. In our culture it's very easy to get sucked into the vortex of feeling deprived because we are constantly measuring ourselves up to what others have and what they're doing. It shouldn't be this way. We should all be taught to love the things we have and to appreciate them instead of always wanting more. The constant yearning for more stuff only breeds negativity in our lives instead of making us feel whole and fulfilled. Clear up this void by paying attention. Check out your surroundings. Feel the grass beneath your bare feet. Think about what it is you love in your life. What are you thankful for? How does this particular sunset on this particular day make you feel? Turn your mind towards what's going on in the here and now in your own life. How are you today? Right now?
Another beneficial cure to FOMO is to limit social media, or just let it go for awhile. Realize that you don't have to have your phone or tablet in your hand and Facebook pulled up all the time. The world will always spin on regardless of what you are doing at any given moment. Facebook will always be there. Your friends will always be doing something when you aren't around them. Instead of being anxious about what's going on, who, what, when, where, and why, see this continual motion on the web as a source of stability - it will always be there anytime you check in.
Compared to the zillion other people on the planet, maybe our lives do seem small, but that doesn't make them any less important or special. Focus on you and what you are bringing into the world, find your own unique purpose, and let others do what they do. Instead of being drained by FOMO, let it be a reason you decide to put your phone on a shelf and go explore the world. Who cares what everyone else is doing!
