How to Cope with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

Spring semester is on a roll once you nailed that dream internship, started writing for the school newspaper, and rushed, but suddenly your plate is full and slightly spilling over with obligations and responsibilities. 

We have reached that point in the semester where the cascade of papers and exams begin, and you find it hard to balance all your obligations while still having time to hangout with your friends. However, all of these things are possible with a little time management and a few nights off from the party scene. 

However, the hard part may not be turning down the invite, but consequently hearing about, or seeing on social media, your friend’s awesome night without you. While FOMO has been affecting people forever, studies have shown that social media increases effects of it, and may even cause depression in teens. 

While we all know how dreadful FOMO is, here are some important tips on how to cope and avoid it all together. 

1. Don’t be afraid to say no. If your friends are going out on a Tuesday night and you have a biology test to study for, prioritize your time. 
2. Stay off social media for the night. It’s only going to aggrevate you. 
3. Since #2 is highly unlikely, believe only half what you read or see on social media. Most teenagers use social media as a platform to make their lives seem more fun than they really are, so do not read into it too deeply. 
4. Be real with yourself. If you are living vicariously through your friend’s on social media and not in the moment, you will never be satisfied with what you are or aren’t doing at that very moment. Focus more on what really matters and the goals you are trying to achieve.

It’s relatively safe to assume that many college students tend to stretch the truth online.  The Nokia Lumina Windows 8 phone marketing campaign shows deceptive “front row seats” at a concert. Or the well-known country favorite Online by Brad Paisley is a fun depiction of non-truths during the early years of social media.

Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor at the UK Telegraph explains that survey results claimed “just under six million of us regularly tell white lies or embellish stories on our social media channels,” and then added “almost one in three admitted that ‘their lives are simply too boring without embellishment.'” 

So simply put: read your news feed for entertainment, but never base your social status upon comparison.  You might just find that some of your friends are actually “cooler on-line” anyway. 

Photo Credits: 

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/01/24/fomo-how-to-fix-your-fear-missi…