FOMO. The tragic and very real Fear Of Missing Out. As the end of summer approaches, our days of summer freedom are numbered and college life is on the horizon. As we scroll through our Instagram feeds, it's quite likely that it looks like everyone else has been having the summer of their lives while you've been at home working your life away and/or watching Netflix in bed and eating ice cream for days on end. I mean Orange is the New Black did release season 3 this summer, so it's understandable.

But feeling like you're missing out on life because you aren't doing what everyone else is doing isn't cool. And that's when the FOMO sets in. And it only gets worse when you get back to school. Whether that means upcoming recruitment, football games, joining clubs, trying to make new friends or spending endless hours catching up with old friends, the possibilities of plans are endless. And with all of these plans comes the very real possibility of sleep deprivation and lack of "Me Time." Being surrounded by people all of the time, even if they are the best of people, can be exhausting sometimes. And then when it comes down to spending the night alone in your bed with Netflix in order to recooperate verses going out with your friends for the seventh night in a row, that’s when the FOMO sets in. So, what do you choose? Recooperation? Or another night out on the town because you’re afraid of missing out?

Well my friends, here’s a simple solution on how to overcome the dreaded FOMO.

Stop. Stop letting FOMO rule your life.
The hard but simple truth is that sometimes people are going to have fun while you’re not there. It doesn’t mean that you are any less of a person or a friend if you can’t do everything.
It just means that you’re a human.

And sometimes you need to rest and not do everything and exhaust yourself to the point of ending up like Chris Traeger.

And sometimes you need to realize that life is happening all around you and if you constantly spend your time wishing you were somewhere else or doing something different, you’re never going to be happy where you are

Easier said than done, I know. But it’s worth it.

Leo Babuata, simplicity blogger and author, once said:

"We're so caught up in trying to do everything, experience all the essential things, not miss out on anything important...we can't read all the good books, watch all the good films, go to all the best cities in the world, try all the best restaurants, meet all the great people...life is better when we don't try to do everything, learn to enjoy the slice of life you experience, and life turns out to be wonderful."

So, stop FOMO before FOMO stops you. Stop trying to do everything and learn how to be happy with the life you're living now. And then one day FOMO will be NO MO.