FOMO (noun) slang. “Fear of missing out” Feeling anxiety or insecure about missing an event, function, or opportunity.

It’s the feeling you get when you were in middle school and you weren’t invited over for movie night, the Friday night in high school when you’re too sick to go to a football game, or when you come back from studying abroad.

I never really had FOMO before and honestly, I didn’t understand why anyone ever would have it. I came into college so excited for all my new experiences that I did what I wanted and whenever I missed something I wasn’t worried because it was my choice to sit it out. I was more than content with my life and all the choices I had made.

All was well until I went and shattered my illusion of happiness in my own reality. I studied abroad. I went away for a summer expecting to go to class and learn about a new country, but I got so much more. While technically I was there for school, it was not a typical school experience. There was no such thing as a routine. A usually dreadful Sunday evening was instead filled with a new adventure in the city centre, a boring Tuesday night turned into a hike up a mountain, and a Thursday was spent exploring pubs and picking the brains of locals. And instead of spending every weekend at a dirty house party, my passport got a workout instead. Every day was filled with a new experience.

Somewhere between Big Ben and the dolphins off a Spanish coastline I came down with a horrible case of FOMO. But I’m not worried that I’ll miss the big party or the crazy sale at my favorite store at the mall. I have the fear of missing out on a new experience that will top my last. I’m constantly looking for my next big adventure and I’m afraid I can’t find it here.

Now, I know my study abroad program wasn’t designed to give me this fear, they actually did an incredible job of preparing me for every moment while I was abroad. I knew what to pack, what classes to take and where to live. But the thing no one can prepare you for is coming home. Going from around the clock excitement to a regular college routine is more than enough to give me culture shock.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends, my school, and everything I do here, but now I have a constant urge to find something more. Sitting through a dull class three times a week is close to unbearable when you day dream of your next big adventure.

Brazil’s culture looks amazing…but New Zealand has incredible views...wait where was I?

I’m sure my culture shock will fade off eventually and I will be able to focus on the present. And in all reality, I can’t be too upset with the high expectations my abroad experiences gave me. I will have to accept that I can’t have that lifestyle year-round, but I do know that I don’t have to settle with mundane activities. From now on, I will always look for something bigger, better, and more spontaneous. So, while I have developed a serious case of FOMO, don’t worry about me. I’ll be in a museum in a big foreign city in no time because if this FOMO has taught me anything is that life is too short to settle for anything less than exciting.