Fear of Missing Out! (FOMO)

FEAR OF MISSING OUT! (FOMO):

5 tips to minimizing FOMO and leading a healthy life.

Have you had times when you feel like you're missing out on something fun and important?

Especially when you opt-out of a particular activity with a group of friends?

Or feeling like you've missed out on the fun when you find out that your friends did something without you?

Yeah, we've had such moments, some of us more than others.

It is called the "Fear Of Missing Out" a.k.a FOMO.

FOMO can be defined as a feeling of anxiety and fear that you're missing out on something. This something could be an opportunity or an event.

It is the feeling or perception that others are having it better than you are.

And this feeling is usually aggravated by social media sites like Facebook and Instagram.

Research indicates that persons with FOMO usually feel dissatisfied with their current state which leads to a comparison of what they perceive is the life of others to theirs.

This comparison leads to feelings of worthlessness, a decline in self-esteem, and all-around dissatisfaction.

Fear of missing out pushes people to stalk the lives of their friends and other people on social media just to know how these people are faring.

Normally, this would not be any cause for alarm, but people always tend to celebrate their best highlights and leave out their worst, and when persons with FOMO begin to scroll through a lot of success feeds, feelings of depression and low self-worth begin to set in.

What's critical to cite is that this fear creates a bad vicious cycle?

A person with FOMO is usually first dissatisfied which leads to fear and anxiety of missing out, it then nudges the person to surf the net and find out what other people are doing. When they do that, they see the highly exaggerated glamour of others and begin to compare, breeding envy, feelings of low self-esteem and a greater dissatisfaction which in turn amplifies the FOMO and the cycle starts again.

It puts a damper to mental health, and while it's not a mental health illness, (except in extreme cases) it needs to be addressed so we can lead happier lives.

5 tips to minimizing FOMO

🔸1. Journaling.

Persons with FOMO tend to pay attention to other people's engagement on their posts. And when they don't get enough appreciation, it sours their mood. Writing down your successes and failures in a journal creates a sense of private appreciation for your growth and the life you live. It eliminates the need to be validated by people and gives you a sense of worth.

🔸2. Focus on what you have and not what you lack.

Another way of minimizing FOMO is focusing on the things you have, and not those you lack. Focusing on the positive and not on the negative. The negative will always breed negative feelings but if we learn to be content, we can lead happier lives.

🔸3. Show gratitude.

Make it a habit of always having something to be grateful for each day. Grateful people are the happiest and anxiety-free people in our society.

🔸4. Limiting time on social media.

Social media is both the drug and the cause for the increased rate of FOMO and its negative effect on the mental state of people. Limiting the time spent on social media helps minimize FOMO.

🔸5. Building positive connections.

Instead of spending time stalking the lives of other people and comparing them with yours, go out there and build positive connections with like-minded people. Research says that the feelings of loneliness and depression are the brain's way of saying it needs connection. So instead of taking to social media, schedule a date with a friend, join enriching communities that foster growth and happiness.

When you direct your mind toward the things you don't have, it will create more problems in your life. This can affect your learning, memory and achievement in different areas of your life.

You would be an empty human being ample with worries and miseries.

Learn to direct your thoughts toward the things you want, whether you have it or not. Anything that can dwell for long in the realm of the Mind will soon manifest itself in the present.

https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/08/05/02/14/girl-1571459_1280.jpg