FOMO, or fear of missing out is real. So much so that there is now an Urban Dictionary recognised acronym for it. Symptoms may include…involuntarily refreshing Facebook, being broke simply because you can’t say no, and having a 99.9% response rate on your instant messaging service of choice. If you know how the guy who sat behind you in maths three years ago spent his weekend, chances are you have it.
FOMO is the younger hotter sibling of the ‘grass is greener on the other side’ except now it comes equipped with 24/7 accessibility and a like button. We have the power to dip in and out of people’s Saturday nights with the click of a button. Thanks to social media we are actually more in the loop than ever, whether we want to be or not.
For around 4 years now, I have lived somewhat of a divided life. Unfortunately, this doesn’t refer to anything remotely dangerous or wild. I do not have an undercover identity, superpower, or an exotic alter ego by night. Unless I’m out and I think I’m channelling Sasha Fierce on the dancefloor. (I’m not).
I have just returned from spending a year abroad in Spain. In addition to that I split my time, somewhat unevenly, between two different countries. At this point in time I have my stuff in 5 different places, with toothbrushes and an array of mismatched pyjamas in three of those. I’m also maintaining long distance relationships in every one.
When I’m at home, in the US, I’m frustrated that I’m missing out on summer parties and coffee with my friends in my other home, London. When I’m with them, I’m frustrated that I’m missing out on an actual summer and ‘qu-offee.’ Even missing out on being in the library looks glamorous through the lens of social media…although this is probably due to the fact that I am a self-confessed people watcher and there is nothing I love more than a coffee break, on either side of the Atlantic.
FOMO, in my case, is less of a fear and more of a realised reality. Wherever I am, I am missing out somewhere. I have been blessed to have so many incredible experiences, but so many of these have become reduced to memories that are a little hazy because I was never really 100% in the moment.
You have probably realised by now that time flies. Whether you’re having fun or not, it seems. Remember when you didn’t know what an overdraft was? Let alone spell it. I am eventually realising, like most things in life, the idea of missing out is greater than the reality of what you’re missing out on anyway. The more time I spend away from my home, my family or my closest friends, the more valuable those moments I do have with them become and so I am able to appreciate where I am in that exact moment. Sometimes there is nothing that makes me happier than staying in and watching Friends reruns with my sisters. The truth is, when I stop complaining, I am lucky enough to be able to call two incredible places, home. I have the best of both worlds. Just not at the same time.
#NOTETOSELF In the spirit of overused Urban Dictionary approved acronyms, more YOLO and less FOMO.
Photo: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/note-to-self.jpg
Originally published on www.homeviahere.wordpress.com
By Priya Minhas