FOMO (FEAR OF MISSING OUT)
With the help of social media we want to always feel involved. We’re afraid of missing out on social events, knowing what’s “in”, and the hottest topics and gossip… the list is never ending. I feel as if social media and social networking sites consume people. People get so caught up into making posts on the internet that they forget to live in the moment. Every holiday people feel the need to post a picture of their plate of food (which isn’t always flattering) and a picture of all their gifts instead of enjoying that significant time with their loved ones. I used to love taking “selfies”, pictures of my food, shoes, etc. however; it all got played out. I just want to enjoy the moment. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE taking pictures, capturing moments, writing about it even but it’s not worth it if I feel detached from reality.
I figured out a way to document my experiences without going overboard. If you engage in any activity just so you can post it, that’s a problem. If you see photos of friends having a good time and you notice you feel all panicky as if you missed out on a good time, don’t! Enjoy life without feeling the need to post stuff on the internet all the time. Enjoy life without feeling the need to be everywhere, you’re only one person and cannot expect yourself to be everywhere at every time. Miss an event or two…or three even, it’s ok. You’ll live, no biggie. My generation goes to the internet even for personal occasions. I appreciate authentic moments. I appreciate calls and texts. A shout out on the internet is fine but if you can contact me via phone call or text, that is much more meaningful than a tweet. I dislike the fact that if you’re not posting a billion things on the internet, tweets, photos, whatever – people think you’re not doing anything with your life. Like…excuse me… when in the hell was my social networking sites supposed to keep you updated with me? The older and less naive I got made me want to keep my personal life as private as possible. I am a very expressive person. I like to express myself in various ways but everyone deserves their privacy. Once I noticed I felt weird toxic energy from always being on the internet and going out to many random parties I had to draw back. There were times when I would find out so much information that I have no business knowing, like other people’s opinion about what’s going on in my life, creating unnecessary drama. I had enough of it. Social networking sites is definitely the route to all evil, but only if you allow it to be. My generation is so caught up in creating fake facades of what they wished to be that they waste time on the internet and spending rent money in clubs instead of evolving as a person. It’s ok to not be on the internet 24/7. Life is much more than “Likes”, “hashtags” and “RTs”. You can miss a few posts & parties. Trust me. You’re not missing out.
How to let go of FOMO
Your smartphone and computer can be your worst enemy:
Social media fuels FOMO. Step back from feeling the need to know what’s going on all the time unless it’s truly beneficial to you. If you’re a twitter and instagram junkie, allow yourself the occasional information detox.
Acknowledge that you can’t be everywhere at one time:
If you plan on going out and there’s and endless amount of things to do with other people or doing something much more important, don’t feel overwhelmed. Simply realize that you can only be at one place at one time. People who engage in something productive or decide to appropriately invest their time always have to cut out a few outings. People who excel “miss out” all the time they just don’t stress about it.