The term fear of missing out or FOMO is thrown around a lot and you most likely heard of it. It’s actually a real phenomenon that can cause you stress.
What is FOMO?
FOMO can affect just about anyone. Although the feeling that you are missing out on something has been around for centuries, it wasn’t until modern times when the term fear of missing out was coined.
How to recognize it?
FOMO refers to a feeling that you are missing out on something and that other people are experiencing something better than what you are currently experiencing. When you have FOMO, you have an urge to be connected to what other people are doing and compare yourself with them.
You can experience a fear of missing out in multiple situations ranging from a party or a promotion or the stock market doing well. The feeling of missing out and how much you are comparing yourself to others is how you can recognize you have FOMO.
How it causes you problems?
A fear of missing out causes 2 main problems.
First off, your life satisfaction or your happiness is lowered when you have FOMO. Since you are constantly comparing yourself to others, you will feel that you haven’t done much with your life and feel down. Something interesting is that according to research, social media is a cause and effect of FOMO. People that use social media often have a higher chance of experiencing FOMO but FOMO also is a mechanism that can lead that person to use social media more. This leads to a negative loop where you keep comparing yourself and feel that you are missing out.
Second, a fear of missing out causes you to make poor choices that might not align with who you are or choices that can hurt you. A common scenario where FOMO does major damage that happens to a lot of people is investing in the stock market. Whenever the stock market does really well, a lot of people experience a fear of missing out on riding the gains so they start investing based on their feelings. They most likely didn’t do their research and they might have invested at a bad time. Worse case scenario, they will lose money.
A common scenario where FOMO causes you to make a bad choice that doesn’t align with who you are is when you have to decide which event to attend. We all have times where we have the choice to go to many different events. If you start experiencing FOMO in those situations, you will choose the choice where most people are going and the event you think most people will be having fun at. Once you go there, you might realize that you chose the wrong option since it doesn’t align with who you are and you are not having fun.
Why do people make poor choices when they have FOMO?
Well the feeling of fear causes people to do interesting things. When you are afraid, you often make irrational choices even when you know what you should be doing. When you have FOMO, you are also able to be manipulated easily by those around you. Every little word or action can push you to make that bad choice. There’s a reason why some ads and marketing campaigns employ a sense of FOMO to get people to buy products. It’s really effective to get people to buy more products so you should be aware of it.
How to avoid it?
You can minimize feelings of FOMO by following these tips:
1. Change your focus from what you lack to what you have.
When you have FOMO and you compare yourself to others, you mainly focus on what other people have that you don’t have. If your focus is on what you lack then it’s hard to be happy. Focus on what you do have and practice some gratitude so you won’t be controlled by FOMO.
2. Find out what is really necessary and important to you.
By finding out what is most important to you, you can say no to choices that you know are not necessary. If you know what is most important, you won’t be swayed into a bad choice by FOMO that easily. This also helps you say no to things that you don’t want to do. Trying to do everything is a sign that FOMO is controlling you. Remember that more isn’t always better.
3. Make some connections and friends.
If you find yourself getting FOMO from spending too much time on social media, go make some friends and meet up with them in person. Making some plans with them can help shake off that feeling that you are missing out on something. Doing something social with people can also be a nice change of pace for you. You will be in the center of the action after all.
4. Practice mindfulness.
Being mindful can help you deal with FOMO as well. If the fear of missing out is lowering your happiness, you can increase your happiness by being more mindful. Mindfulness can help those that have FOMO enjoy what they are doing in the moment instead of wishing for something else.
Have you ever experienced a fear of missing out? Leave a comment below.