Fear of Missing Out On Summer
Summer is here,but you can’t go anywhere.
I can imagine the frustration that you must be feeling. Everything on your social media feed are pictures of your friends on these Luca Guadagnino-esque trips, having the time of your life.
Yet, here you are, at home, unable to have that trip of a lifetime because of your current situation. I know that for you, in that moment, FOMO is real.
To refresh your memory, FOMO, which stands for "Fear of Missing Out” is when you feel anxious about missing an exciting or fun event that is happening somewhere else. It’s that familiar feeling that you get when you feel that everyone is experiencing new and exciting things except you.
A Victim of the Social Media Scroll
Being human, we are all susceptible to the social media trap. It is not unusual to feel jealous, frustrated and insecure when the big FOMO hits. At times, unconsciously, we even begin to compare ourselves to others.
What’s scary is that what can start as an innocent fear of missing out can lead to different mental health problems like anxiety and depression.
When you experience FOMO, you become more aware of the things that make you feel insecure. Then you start to question your life decisions. You blame yourself for the things you were not able to do. It becomes a negative spiral of emotions that can worsen and should be given professional attention.
FOMO may be a universal feeling, but we all experience it differently. Some feel FOMO deeply more than others while other people deal with it pretty easily.
Dealing with FOMO
If you find yourself feeling FOMO and you don’t know where to start, here are ways on how to deal with it:
First Start With a Change of Pace:
Ask a friend that you haven’t seen in a while for a museum date, or watch a movie at a drive in theater. Do something different with your daily routine that would make you feel refreshed. FOMO, most of the time, is associated with feeling stuck or unhappy in your current routine.
Spicing up your daily routine can shake things up in your life and can help you shift your focus from “what I am missing out” to “ what I have.” Maybe the excitement that you’re looking for has been around you the whole time. All you need is a little bit of creativity.
Second Focus on Gratitude and What Makes You Happy:
Mark Manson, the author of the best-selling book, “The Art of Not Giving an F” says people who experience FOMO are not motivated by the things they could gain but more so, fear the things they could lose.
For example, they fear that by not going to this music festival they would lose the chance of experiencing the event of the summer. So, every thrilling experience they are offered, they take because they fear that they would never get to experience something of that level again.
But in the pursuit of chasing and taking the things that they think would make them happy, they lose sight of the “small” but meaningful things in their lives that also matter like a great group of friends or a nice warm bath.
Taking a Step in the Right Direction
Of course, enjoying a good cup of coffee or admiring the sunset would not easily cure your FOMO. However, it can lead you in the right direction.
These small but meaningful things in life, that we often take for granted, can remind us of the blessings that are already in front of us. It can help us lead a more appreciative life.
There is something magical about being more appreciative of life. Everything feels in abundance. You start to see things that you thought were mundane in a new and refreshing light.
This article is no way slandering dreams of wanting bigger things in life. I mean, who would not want to travel to Japan, experience something new, and be where the cool kids are.
However, this article is just a reminder that when you feel sad or anxious about missing out on the fun things this summer, to look around because there are also bits of paradise where you are at.
You just have to stop and notice.
Resources:
Scott, E. (2021, April 25). Do You Have FOMO? Here Is How to Cope. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-cope-with-fomo-4174664
Barker, E. (2016, June 7). This Is The Best Way to Overcome Fear of Missing Out. Time; Time. https://time.com/4358140/overcome-fomo/
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