The fear of missing out, commonly known as FOMO, is a form of anxiety that makes you believe that you are missing out on something, and other people are having better experiences than you. Many young people between the ages of 16 and 35 experience this form of anxiety that leads them to compare themselves with others and jump on any trend to avoid being left behind. 

Think of FOMO as that massive wave of disappointment that hits you when you open Instagram and see your friends hulled up together at a house party having fun while you are in bed on a Friday night watching a movie. Moments ago, you were content with your Friday night plans, but now, you feel inadequate, and that’s because you just had a FOMO moment. 

Long before the concept had a name, the fear of missing out has been a plague to humanity. A typical example is Marcus Tiello Cicero, a Roman statesman, and philosopher in 63BC. He suffered from FOMO so much that he would arrange for a team of workers to send him letters regularly each time he had to leave the capital. These letters covered everything that happened at the capital, from politics to juicy gossips.  So you see, while the term FOMO may be new, the feeling isn’t.

The Dangers of FOMO

FOMO can be dangerous to your mental health as it causes emotional agony in many ways.

• FOMO keeps you from having real connections with people because you are not truly present. It is difficult to immerse yourself fully in an experience if you are always anxious.

• FOMO leads you to make poor and irrational choices like securing an investment without doing your research simply because everyone seems to be doing it.

• FOMO distracts you from your goals and leads you into making decisions that do not align with your lifestyle and principles. You end up procrastinating important things and instead spend time doing something you ‘thought’ would be great. 

• FOMO rides on fear which makes you vulnerable to manipulators. A good example is the trick advertising companies use in selling us products. They make you believe that you can achieve the same level of happiness as the people you see by using a product. 

How to Overcome FOMO

• Practice gratitude: 

What makes many of us vulnerable to the fear of missing out is the inability to appreciate what we have going on around us. To overcome FOMO, you must learn to switch focus from what you like to what you have and be grateful for them. 

• Have values and principles:

A person with a purpose, values, and principles is not easily distracted. You can overcome FOMO by first being purpose-driven, and secondly, ensuring you have guiding principles to help you achieve your purpose. There is a feeling of confidence and empowerment that comes from behaving consistently with your principles, and this confidence makes it easy to shun FOMO.

• Practice mindfulness:

Without mindfulness, it is easy for us to miss out on ordinary interesting moments like having earnest conversations with children. While everyone experiences FOMO, people who have been able to navigate through it successfully know that there is a list of things they are afraid of not enjoying if they do not learn to live in the moment. Like enjoying your own company, discovering yourself, making real-life connections, and learning about your family, especially older parents.

• Know yourself:

Lao Tzu once said that a man who knows others is wise, but a man who knows himself is enlightened. There is so much power that comes from having an in-depth understanding of yourself. When you know yourself, you understand the things that truly matter to you, and it is easier to say no to FOMO and yes to what makes you truly happy.

---

After a day or week-long of activities and hard work, there is no shame in looking forward to spending the weekend in bed, sipping your favorite beverage and reading a book, or embarking on a movie marathon. After all, The keys to happiness are connections and accomplishment. Unfortunately, FOMO keeps us from achieving those because you are stuck in a rat race of achieving things that other people have made you believe are exciting.