FOMO = Fear of Missing Out.

We've all been there. It's a feeling that we've all had to deal with and most of us still continue to struggle with today.

It happened just this past weekend. This year, I was unable to go out during Halloweekend and (at first) I was so upset. Hearing my friends talk about the parties they were going attend, which costumes they were going to wear, or how they were going to do their makeup was really frustrating because all I wanted to do was contribute to the conversation and be part of their fun and exciting plans.

I kept trying to push those thoughts out of my head and not think about it because I knew if I did, I was going to be bitter. The thought that all my friends were going out without me made me feel anxious. I kept thinking that I was going to be missing something super exciting and then feel entirely out of the loop among my friends. Nobody wants to feel like an outsider and that was exactly how I felt.

When Halloweekend finally rolled around and my friends were all out having a blast, I found myself constantly looking through the endless Instagram posts and snap stories. I was glued to my phone and couldn't seem to stop refreshing my social media apps, and thus my anxiety heightened.

If I could have just put down my phone and be present with myself and what I was doing at that moment in time, I would have felt so much happier and less distraught.

My reason for missing Halloweekend was because I was participating in OttoTHON -- an amazing organization that hosts a 12-hour dance marathon to raise money for Syracuse's local children's hospital.

What I wish I realized then was that it is more than okay to skip a weekend of going out, and whether your reason is that you have a club activity, a family event, or just want to spend the night in watching Netflix in your bed, is completely valid. There will be plenty of other weekends to do fun things with your friends. Sometimes you just need a moment away from all of that.

I am sure that I will deal with facing FOMO again, for like I said, it is inevitable; but I also need to keep in the back of my mind that it is okay to take time for yourself.

Whenever you come down with a bad case of FOMO just remember: put down your phone and breathe; live in the moment and don't compare yourself; you aren't doing anything wrong, in fact, what you're doing is more than okay.