According to Cornell University, 69% of Americans have experienced the fear of missing out, commonly referred to as FOMO. FOMO is what humans experience when they feel that other people are doing way more fun things. No one likes to feel left out. It leads to jealousy and spite for oneself and others around them.
What Causes FOMO?
There are a variety of factors that can cause FOMO, but there are three specific causes that will be mentioned in this article: social media, self isolation, and being busy.
Social media is one of the biggest causes for feeling left out. According to the Social Media Victims Law Center, social media causes many people to feel left out due to missing an opportunity to meet a friend. Most oftenly, it specifically happens from missing an opportunity to meet up with friends. Social media can also give feelings of FOMO when a person sees pictures or videos of others doing fun activities while the person could possibly be just at home, doing nothing.
Self isolation is harmful, especially to those who are suffering from FOMO. If people are depressed, they are more likely to self-isolate themselves from everyone else. This in turn may cause them to miss out on things, giving them those feelings that they are trying to avoid in the first place.
Sometimes people are just too busy with work, school, or other activities to hang out. This can cause FOMO. They ask themselves why everyone else is able to do all these things while that person has to sit and do work.
How to Cope With FOMO
Dealing with FOMO is no easy task. There are, however, a few strategies to help cope with it. According to Help Guide, these are some of the strategies to help deal with this.
The first idea is to develop self awareness, by acknowledging how you feel and when you feel this way. Try to think about why you feel this way. Decide whether things are truly important for you in the current moment. Otherwise, do not worry about it.By doing this, you can build your self awareness.
The next way is to try to manage stress and anxiety. FOMO goes together with stress and anxiety, so it is crucial to manage these emotions. An example of this is to write your feelings down. If you don’t do this, FOMO can be a clear sign of degrading mental health. So if you’re beginning to feel FOMO, be aware and try to do something about it.
The last thing mentioned in the help guide is to do a digital detox. This might be one of the greatest ways to improve your health. Designate specific times when you can use your phone. Make sure you turn off notifications, people can wait. There are many more ways to do a digital detox but this specific method is very simplified.
Conclusion
FOMO is the fear of missing out. It is most commonly felt by people who are busy, self isolate themselves, or are checking social media maybe a little too much. There are many ways to help cope with fomo, including digital detoxing, self awareness, and basic mental health increasing tactics. By Following these methods maybe you can feel better about yourself and start 2025 positively.