How many times have you been stuck at work, unable to join your friends for a dinner party? Or
Held up with your child’s assignment while your friends went out for coffee?
At such times, you may end up wondering, are they having lots of fun without me? What am I missing out on?
In short, what you’re going through is fear of missing out or FOMO!
This is especially prevalent among people who spend quite a bit of time online.
They want to say yes to everything because of their FOMO.
FOMO was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2013 and defined as the “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media.”
Typically, people with low life satisfaction and low mood experience FOMO. You may also experience FOMO if you feel your needs are not being met.
Some main reasons for FOMO are:
Social media
There is a high correlation between a person’s usage of social media and FOMO.
Loneliness
Being alone hurts more when you don’t want to be alone, and where people you know seem to be enjoying themselves together.
Anxiety
Anxiety and nervous behavior when coupled with usage of social media as a coping mechanism causes FOMO.
Instead of yielding to the social pressure to be at the right place with the right people and comparing our lives, practice becoming intentional with your time.
Embrace JOMO or the joy of missing out!
Enjoy your own company, work towards your own goals, work on your own projects.
FOMO is distracting you from your life’s purpose while
JOMO is a way to live an intentional life.
Here are a few ways to bring more JOMO into your life.
Reflect
Journal to review how you spend your time and then realign based on your long-term priorities.
Disconnect
Embrace offline time. Take the time to turn off your phone and spend time alone with your thoughts.
Reconnect
With yourself and with the people you care about. Spending time in a meaningful way will help you stop worrying about how others spend their time.
“Happiness isn’t defined by others. It is defined by YOU and the daily choices you make.” –Tonya Dalton, Author
