Fear Of Missing Out…
Ever heard the term ‘Fear of missing out‘? Or ‘FOMO‘ – The struggle is more real than ever…
When it comes to the fear of missing out, there’s a good chance you fall into Category A) Which means you respect the emotion, deal with it and move on. Or maybe you belong to Category B) which means you run around like a headless chicken, trying desperately to attend every event you’re invited to. Only to then dwindled into an anxiety-riddled muddle, when you have no choice but to say no. The agony of social media means that people are likely to capture 30seconds of a whole event, to imply that they are almost definitely having “the best time ever“.
I suffer from the fear of missing out, full-blown category B and frankly, I’m exhausted.
Without a doubt, the fear of missing out is more complex than not having the same top as everyone else, missing a party or missing a certain TV program. According to a survey conducted in the US and UK, the majority of adult Millennials (current age between 18 and 34) stated that they want to say yes to everything due to the fear of missing out; over half of the respondents said that they barely invest sufficient energy or time in delving into topics or new interests.**
I go through stages where I try to pack as much into my everyday life as possible, forever fearful that if I don’t capture and hold onto the moment, it’ll slide. The end result is not always a pleasure, it’s often crippling anxiety, mood swings due to lack of sleep and at times, mistakes are made. Whilst I’m sure there’s real beauty in living a slow life, it’s not something that I’ve been able to fully switch on in my mind. I like speed, I want to feel out of breath, I want the hours to pass by fast because I’m so focused. Meaning, I don’t press my ‘off button’ enough and this is why I need to battle my fear of missing out.
Like all problems, there’s nearly always a sensible solution. I spoke to my therapist about my fear of allowing myself to relax and she explained that we all need a break, I need to change the way I speak to myself. I needed to stop being fearful of taking care of myself, I’m learning to say no and at the same time, I’m remembering that self-care isn’t selfish.
Which brings me to the following:
How I’m learning to handle ‘The Fear Of Missing Out’
Remember that it’s perfectly acceptable to say no, we can’t be everything, to everyone all the time.
I’ll stay off social media and avoid the hashtags and Instagram stories – If I can’t see that 30second clip of ‘The best party ever’ then it won’t bother me.
If I don’t get invited to a big blogger event, I’ll keep in mind that I do already get invited to some amazing events and there must be something good in store for me. Just, not right now.
I’ll nurture my soul, with say a relaxing swim followed by a jacuzzi and sauna, or dive into a new book whilst eating my favorite chocolate.
Keep in mind, that sometimes missing out is actually a blessing in disguise and you can’t miss what you’ve never had.
***
How do you handle the fear of missing out?
Katie
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**Source – Wikipedia
