FOMO has been around for many generations and is nothing new in our day and age; however, with the increased use of social media, this FOMO phenomenon has skyrocketed. It is a modern-day byproduct of how we perceive ourselves and others through the filtered lenses of social media.
Everyone seems to be having more fun and living better lives than we are; therefore, we think that we must be the ones who are missing out. This deep sense of envy is created by viewing pictures and images of “real” life, which we know are anything but real. They have been heavily filtered and are misleading, which can become overwhelming and create feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, and excess pressure, especially for children and teens.
We are all social beings. Our brains are wired to instinctively seek inclusion, a sense of belonging, and acceptance from others. The fear of being excluded and rejected can negatively impact our mental well-being.
It can be very easy to fall into the FOMO trap, as we are constantly on our phones or computers, endlessly streaming on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok from morning to evening, from school to work to outings to home.
The next time you feel like going down the rabbit hole of FOMO, consider some of these basic tips to counteract the unbalancing effects of FOMO and regain control of your life:
- Become more present and mindful of your time. Learn to say no, enjoy your own choices, and engage in more meaningful activities, especially with people you care about.
- Become more grateful. Shift your focus to the joy of what you have and what you are experiencing rather than focusing on what is lacking.
- Become more inward focused, not outward focused. Get to know yourself better, increase your self-worth, and decrease stress.
- Become more trusting of yourself. Make decisions based on who you are and what you want, not on what others will think of you or expect from you. There is no need to impress others or to be constantly making comparisons.
- Become more optimistic and surround yourself with more positive people who don’t need to brag and are supportive of you, not judgmental. Make real connections and establish genuine relationships; who needs fake friends?
- Become more calm and peaceful by taking a digital break. Do a detox and stay away from your devices for at least one day or a weekend or, at the very least, reduce and limit your daily time on social media.
- The antidote for FOMO is a good dose of JOMO, the joy of missing out; there is no need for endless scrolling on social media to see what others are doing and fill your day with anxiety about what you may be missing out on. Make the deliberate decision to disconnect and choose a mindset that allows you to slow down and embrace the present moment without worrying about what others are doing or having to keep up with them.
In the end, FOMO makes you miss out on living your own peaceful and happy life. Focus on the quality of what you are doing rather than the quantity. And most of all, be authentic to yourself and what truly matters in your life. Love what you are doing rather than spending your time feeling guilty and shameful about what others are telling you to do and how to be.
Antoinette Giacobbe
