Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and all the other popular platforms we use let us share our lives with others and see what our friends are up to at any time of the day. With the ability to post to our "Stories" and live in this constant cycle of promoting our everyday happenings with the world, this unnatural way of online engagement can have negative effects.
FOMO, the "fear of missing out" is the concept of getting anxiety from seeing events on social media that are happening elsewhere. We all get it from time to time and more than others. Fortunately, there are ways to combat FOMO and start feeling great more often and more consistently.
1. Enjoy some "me time."
There are millions of things we can be doing at any given moment, so don't beat yourself up for not going to one event. Relax and watch some Netflix. Bake some chocolate chip cookies and listen to Ariana Grande's new single on repeat. You have the ability to transform your "me time" into something super special and something catered to your specific needs.
Remind yourself that it's OK to stay home and rest. Doing so will help you slowly get rid of that FOMO feeling.
2. Unplug.
We use social media every day and sometimes more than we think we do. In fact, the average person will spend about five years of their entire life on social media. This is crazy! Sometimes the best way to get rid of your FOMO is to take a break from social media. Detach yourself from the constant stream of online happenings for a night. Put your phone on 'Do Not Disturb' that way your phone will only go off if there's an emergency.
3. Don't Compare Yourself To Others.
On some social media sites, especially Instagram, it's easy to assume celebrities and other Insta-famous people live these super happy, camera-ready lives by how awesome their posts and experiences seem to be.
This couldn't be further from the truth. Insta-famous users still experience FOMO too, but they are just really good at making their viewers think that they aren't. They're people too. They have feelings, they want to be desired and most importantly, they want to be happy.
Unfortunately, the experiences they share have spawned dangerously unrealistic life standards. Most of the photos you see by Insta-famous users and celebrities are staged and created by professional photographers and social media experts. These users have set a bar too high for the rest of us who live normal lives and can't afford or have the time to hire a professional to create our Instagram content.
So what does this all mean? It means that you can appreciate all the amazing experiences you find on social sites like Instagram, but don't compare yourself and the content you post to those who are famous and are getting paid to post.
The less often you compare yourself to others online, the less often you will experience FOMO.
At the end of the day, we're all people who want to feel included, desired and happy. If we enjoy time spent just ourselves, unplug from social media and stop comparing our social content to professionals, we will start to experience FOMO less often and become more satisfied and fulfilled with our lives as they are.
