
FOMO, or fear of missing out, is having
uneasy or all-consuming feelings that you are missing out on things that others
are doing, enjoying and succeeding in. If you have this feeling or believe that
your friends have it better than you, then you are experiencing FOMO.
FOMO is not in any way a good thing
because it makes you do things you should not be doing in the first place just
because you want to have every possible option. You are always saying yes to
social and business invitations you don’t necessarily want to attend only
because you feel like others will be in on something big and you will be left
out.
You are constantly checking social media
to be in the know at all times and when your phone rings, you instantly answer
it.
The anxiety will wane, some of the time,
but it won’t. A lot of young adults find themselves dealing with this
phenomenon and even though it sounds like a modern life symptom, it a vicious
cycle you definitely need to break.
Where does FOMO
come from?
As surprising as it sounds, it comes from
unhappiness. Fear of missing out happens to people who are not feeling good
about their lives. If you keep wondering if everybody else is having more fun
or more business success in their lives, then you feel the need to find out,
which takes much of your time and energy away from working on your own
enjoyment and success.
What most people don’t realise is that they
don’t feel better after finding out; they end up feeling worse, especially if
they discover that friends or business colleagues are actually having such a
blast.
Going to social media for happiness will
not work. Happiness comes from within but when you are so wrapped up in other
people’s world, you lose interest in your world.
How do you get rid
of FOMO?
- ·
Be
aware you have it - You first need to acknowledge that you are actually feeling
this fear then work towards improving it.
- ·
Be
honest - To yourself as well as to others. If you say yes to everything for the
fear of missing out on anything, you will spread yourself to thinly to actually
accomplish anything.
- ·
Don’t
procrastinate - Undecided things just take up a certain brain capacity for no
reason. If you might not be able to accomplish something, say no immediately
and that will be settled. Gauge the opportunities and decide what will be more
worthwhile then commit to it.
- ·
Be
grateful for what you have - If you are grateful for all the things you have in
your life, you will be happier. If you can imagine losing some of the important
things in your life like family and friends and your career, then you will be
able to appreciate them and be grateful for them.
Final thought
FOMO is beatable, especially when you
realise that most of what is on the media is simply face. People post fake
lives to give the illusion that they have it better than others while in real
life, they are just living normally, just like you. Avoid spending all time
envying the illusion on all the cleverly crafted pictures of perfect life on
social media because, in the long run, the only thing you will be missing out
on is your own life.
Remember, Mayfair cares