Stop FOMO Running Your Life
Stop FOMO Running Your Life
Social media has changed the world. It has shaped the events that shape our world.
ASL for example, and similar other charities, have become recognised worldwide as a direct result of social media. ASL challenge was a viral campaign by The ASL Association, which fights Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Natural disaster responses have been faster than ever, because social media has changed the way we learn about and respond to natural disasters around the world. A very recent example is the Nepal Facebook response.
Social media has changed the way people get their news and think about news in general. Social media can be used to transform society and politics on a global scale.
However, with all these extraordinary changes there are some negative aspects that are affecting people all over. Probably the worst of them all is the fear of missing out (FOMO). When people get wrapped up in other people’s doings and draw comparisons to their own lives. This envious social anxiety, where you can’t help but feel that everyone else is having way more fun than you, is soul eroding, exhausting and a definite formula for disaster. It’s normal to feel anticipatory regret from time to time, but we’re losing perspective and letting FOMO drive us blindly to decisions we don’t really wanted to make.
It has happened to all of us, there you are minding your own business and you decide to check Facebook or your Instragram feed and a HUGE wave of FOMO takes over you. Suddenly, what you are doing is diminished in your eyes as you read and look at your friend’s updates. You start thinking you wish you were there doing the same, and this kind of think goes on.
And it’s nighttime and you’re in bed, but you can’t sleep because the FOMO is real and what if something’s happened and people are talking about it. This feeling of missing out is wasteful and toxic. It creates anxiety, stress, disappointment and in some cases depression. High time to take time out from obsessing about what everybody else is doing and start focusing on what makes you happy.
Take control of your life and start enjoying life in your own terms without being influenced by other people’s activities. Do not let FOMO take over your life. The following tips might help you move away from this life-eroding pattern, get back to feeling happy with what you’ve got and what you are doing.
1. Do what you LOVE
When you are living and leading a life that is fulfilling, that brings you joy and you are doing things that matter to you, then you will have no time to think about what other people are doing.
Stop checking Facebook for your friends’ new updates on their exciting trips, purchases, or whatever else they like to plaster on their Facebook wall. Feel happy for them and ask yourself, had I been doing the same would I feel happy?
Take time out, go for a walk, meditate, and make a list of things that you would love to do. Now focus on these and watch that FOMO syndrome dissipate, as you get busy doing things you love.
2. Don’t believe all you see
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Instagram, Facebook and other social mediums accentuate this perception.
We take things out of context and seem to like to believe that other people are in a perpetual state of partying, or constantly travelling or having experiences we only dream of. This is only a small side of their life; they are not going to post about the food-poising episode from their night out, or their state of stupor after that amazing music festival. All you see is the best of the times with no inclusion of the worst of the times that followed immediately after sometimes. Social media provides the best pages or paragraphs of someone’s life story, so to speak.
You are not getting the full picture; you are getting only the highlights.
3. Limit your social media use
Set limits to how often and how long you will check Facebook or Instagram each day. The longer you check it the more you focus on that and you want to be present and engage in what you’re doing. Which brings us to the next point.
4. Be present!
Be present with life. In a world saturated with iphones and smartphones being present is a challenge. Put you’re phones, and tablets down and for a moment just be still and breathe. Notice your surroundings — the sounds in the room, the sounds of leaves outside, how your body feels, the light outside, the warmth of the sunshine. Sometimes we do not pause and acknowledge the calmness of the present moment. When we are living in the now, we do not worry about the future or feel guilt or regret about the past. Regularly applied, mindfulness makes us feel peaceful and alive. Mostly, happy with your present, you’re state of now.
4. Identify Change
The fear of missing out, can also be taken as a sign that maybe you need some change in your life. Wanting to be included is a normal human desire and maybe something is missing in your life and it’s time for you to make that change and recognise what it is you need to do.
Focusing on other people’s business brings about negativity, jealousy and delusion. Focus on you, your life and how you can improve it. Focus on how you can become a better version of your present self. Sometimes the beauty right in front of you is greater than what you are looking at in your screen- look up! Learn to draw a balance between your reality and online reality. When you learn to prioritise your life and the life of those close to you will experience true joy.
