Have you ever seen a photo of your friends hanging out and regretted staying in? Or perhaps you had to miss a party while on vacation and are now feeling excluded. This gnawing feeling in your gut is likely FOMO, the fear of missing out, working its way through your system. FOMO is a form of anxiety that occurs when one feels they are missing out on valuable experiences that are being shared on social media. It can present itself in many forms, leaving us feeling down about ourselves, but why? Moreover, why does it seem that these feelings are harder to escape since entering college?
It is known that FOMO disproportionately affects young adults. More specifically, 87% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 admit to experiencing anxiety surrounding social exclusion. It usually ties it back to one thing: social media. We see friends, family and even celebrities seemingly having the time of their lives every single day, and chronic use of social media platforms is becoming more apparent, worsening the acute symptoms of FOMO. Coupling this with entering college, these feelings are exacerbated tenfold. It seems as though the opportunities to go out and have fun are just outside your door, and prioritizing your loads of coursework and other responsibilities is harder than ever before. Personally, this anxiety is at an all-time high at the start of the semester. The campus is buzzing, people are making new friends, reuniting with old ones and the FOMO begins to make my bedroom window feel like a jail cell.
It’s undeniable that FOMO is a very real and visceral feeling that most can relate to, making it crucial to find ways to combat this. Here are some tips that can help kick FOMO to the curb:
- Prioritize your needs
Always remember that you come first! Get that homework done, cover that shift at work, take that much-needed self-care day. Whatever it may be, give it your full attention. Putting off your priorities will eventually catch up to you. Take the time to complete your tasks now, and free up time in the near future to spend with friends and family. As a plus, even if your obligations aren’t what you’d consider fun or fulfilling, focusing on the task at hand can at least provide a distraction from these uncomfortable feelings.
- Step away from social media
Social media plays a vital role in why we feel we are missing out on fun, meaningful experiences. It feels as though we cannot free ourselves from these apps, each post and video we scroll past furthering the spiral. Likewise, many find themselves gravitating towards these sites more often when our perceived exclusion is at an all-time high. Recognizing this self-inflicted torment and actively fighting the urge to scroll will ease these anxieties in the long run.
- Ground yourself in reality
Keep in mind that your loved ones will not forget you overnight. Yes, it can hurt to see others having fun without you, but they will be there for you tomorrow. On the contrary, if you feel pressured to attend plans simply to avoid potentially missing out on the fun, don’t be afraid to decline. In my experience, when I force myself to go out I never end up having a good time because I wasn’t excited about the event in the first place.
With all of this being said, balance is key. It’s okay to temporarily postpone your to-do list to catch up with your friends or push yourself out of your comfort zone to do something new from time-to-time. You know yourself best. If you keep your goals and values close, meaningful experiences will follow suit.