Stop Letting 'FOMO' Ruin Your Life
Stop letting the world dictate what's worth your time or not.
FOMO: Fear of missing out.
We've all suffered from it. Honestly, it's pretty hard not to be a victim of FOMO in today's world of Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. Our social media is bombarded with pictures and videos of people having, apparently, the time of their lives. We see a perfect highlight reel of people's lives and the cool, amazing things they've experienced every other day- it's a little hard not to feel left out, to feel like you're not as interesting, or to feel a tiny bit subpar.
The fear of missing out is a burden many college students seem to carry, especially among freshman. As my freshman year comes to a close, I can say with absolute certainty that I've dealt with my fair share of FOMO moments. When I would decide to have a night in at my dorm instead of going out with my friends, when I would scroll through my Instagram feed and see others at concerts or festivals I would've killed to go to, when I saw Snapchat stories of friends going on trips that looked so exciting, I definitely got that strange knot in my stomach and a horrible, nagging feeling that I would regret missing out on those moments everyone else seemed to be enjoying so much.
The funny thing is though, as much fun as it may look at the time, nine times out of ten we're not seeing the whole picture. That party that appeared to put all other parties to shame? They played lame music the whole night or it ended ridiculously early. That trip a group of your pals posted about nonstop for a week? They fought over the smallest things every other day.
We all get so caught up in showing the world we're having a fun time that we either forget to have one, or we force ourselves to do things we know we won't enjoy on the off chance that we might surprise ourselves. FOMO makes you think you need to be doing what everyone else is doing in order to have a good time. It makes you believe that your idea of fun isn't as great as someone else's. We end up wasting so much time doing things we don't really want to do because we don't want to feel left out, and in the end, we only feel unfulfilled when everyone else talks about the great time they had and we didn't. We end up only remembering how uncomfortable or annoyed we were.
Stop letting FOMO take away the actual fun, lively moments in your life.
Make memories doing the things you find enjoyable, not because the people in the dorm next door made you feel like you just had to go to have fun. Stop pressuring yourself to do things with people that have different tastes than you- there are plenty of other opportunities to make inside jokes and lasting memories with the people you care about, but you shouldn't have to force it.
If you make the effort to do the things you love or have always wanted to try, you'll never be consumed by the fear of missing out again. Stop letting the world dictate what's worth your time or not.
20 Lessons I Learned Before I Turned 20
I have learned so much over these past 20 years, but I still have a long way to go.
Let's face it, turning 20 is a weird thing. You can drive at 16, you are a legal adult at 18 and you can drink at 21, so in the grand scheme of things, 20 is an insignificant age. However, when you turn 20, and that suffix of "teen" is no longer behind your age, it hits you. You're not a kid anymore. When you make mistakes at 20, people don't defend you anymore by saying, "Oh she's just young, she doesn't know any better." When you're 20, you are expected to have your shit together because you should have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge over these past 20 years, and let me tell you, that fucking sucks. But this is not a post of regret, this is a post of reflection. So please enjoy 20 years of lessons that I had no idea I was learning.
1. It's ok to make mistakes.
Hannah Montana said it best, "nobody's perfect." You're going to mess up so much in life, but you would never grow if you didn't make a mistake here and there.
2. Sometimes, you're going to be in the right, but when you are in the wrong, don't try to hide it or fight to prove your point. Just own that you were wrong and move on.
Being right 100% of the time is not only not natural, but not healthy. No one knows everything.
3. You have to fight for what you want, nothing is handed to you.
Working hard will get you so much further in life, so don't just sit around expecting good things to come your way.
4. Appreciate every day you have, whether good or bad.
You are still alive, you are still breathing. Those two things in and of themselves are the greatest blessings.
5. In bad situations, it's all about how you react.
You can make the best out of every situation, and nothing is ever past the point of fixing.
6. There's no weakness in asking for help.
If you try to take care of everything yourself, you will wind up exhausted and probably worse off then you were before. Asking for help is actually one the smartest and strongest things you can do.
7. Always be open to listening to other perspectives. Who knows, you could maybe learn something from them.
Every person you meet is going to have different experiences from you, so they must likely won't agree with you on everything. But just because they may not side with your point, doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to them.
8. When you are happy, don't look for reasons why you shouldn't be. Just be happy.
Don't keep looking for something bad coming around the corner, just enjoy being happy. Being comfortable in your happiness is one of the hardest things to do (trust me, I know), but it is so worth it in the end.
9. Take advice from those older than you, they do know a few things.
Whether it's your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, professors, or an old dude on the street, they have lived a lot more life than you, so they definitely have learned a few more lessons.
10. Life will throw curveballs at you, don't try to dodge them.
Curveballs and obstacles are a natural part of life, so don't try to dodge them, just handle them as they come at you.
11. Find something to be thankful for everyday.
Whether it is something trivial or major, there is always something out there to be thankful for.
12. If someone isn't treating you the way you deserve to be treated, leave them behind.
The sooner your recognize that you are being treated like shit, the sooner you can change things. Don't settle with being treated poorly, no one deserves that.
13. There is such a thing as luck, but it's not a given.
Luck comes to those deserving of it, so, basically, don't be an asshole.
14. Don't try to look like everybody else. Relish in what makes you unique.
If everybody looked and acted exactly the same, the world would be a pretty boring place. There's only one you in the world, so be awesome.
15. Having a few close friends is much better than having a lot of fake ones.
Your close friends will be there for you no matter what, so it is so essential to have those people who you know you could come to anytime, any day, anywhere.
16. Don't go looking for love, it will find you.
The age old saying, "Love will come when you least expect it" is so unbelievably true, so don't try to force it. If it's meant to be, it will be.
17. Do what you love, love what you do.
Find a job that makes you hop out of bed every morning, eager to face what the day will bring. You will be a whole lot happier in the long run.
18. Don't waste your time trying to get people to like you. The people who do like you will show it.
When you find people who truly love you for who you are, it all comes easily.
19. Trust your gut. You know when things are right and when they are wrong.
Intuition is a very powerful thing, so harness it. At the end of the day, no one knows you better than you know yourself.
20. I still have a lot to learn.
I cannot wait to see what more lessons the rest of my life will hold. Bring it on baby!