It’s 7 p.m. on Thursday night. My package of oreos and I are swaddled in a colorful array of blankets. The TV hums quietly in the background. As I swallow another mouthful of double-stuffed goodness, I contemplate heading to the gym or burying myself even further into the couch for a TGIT marathon.
While trying to convince myself that I really should go to the gym, I pick up my phone and scroll aimlessly through Instagram. Suddenly, neither of my options seem very exciting. The endless snapshots of GNO, date night or even a high school reunion at the bar are enough to make me want to put on my heels and throw a party – instead of lounging around the empty apartment that I was so grateful for less than a minute ago.
The FOMO plague strikes again.
It seems like every second, one of our friends lands a huge internship, gets engaged, takes the best trip of her life or crosses six things off her bucket list – all while we just, well, existed like a normal human being. With a flick of our thumb, we can always be on the receiving end of the latest happenings within our friend group and acquaintances. The constant slew of posts, tweets and photos is enough to drive us mad. In fact, it does.
The fear of missing out, which is commonly manifested due to some sort of social media newsfeed, is stronger than ever among us millennials. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t almost always sick with it – or that it wasn’t contagious.
That being said, one of my current goals is to battle the FOMO blues – and win. Here’s how I’m going to do it (and how you can do it too).
I will change my perspective on social media.
Too much time on social media can diminish our self confidence, affect our mood and even create a sense of animosity toward the friends we feel are experiencing more than we are. This is why it is incredibly important to take posts and photos in context. Social media is a fantasy world where we are comparing someone’s most extravagant moments to our average ones. Think about it: How many people ever post about their typical Monday morning routine? You got it – no one.
Learn to celebrate someone else’s experiences without diminishing your own self worth.
…Or maybe just laugh with a few of your best friends about how over-the-top some people are with their posts, and learn to take it in stride.
I will focus on experiences instead of status updates.
As if social media wasn’t already bad enough, we’ve all caught ourselves thinking the one thing we swore we would never (ever) do: I better wear this top, just in case I end up in anyone’s pictures from tonight, or I bet going to NYC for spring break would be fun, especially because of the Gossip Girl tweets I could have write while I’m there.
Don’t be that girl.
Live in the moment, and challenge yourself to be happy enough with your choices that you don’t need 60 likes to prove that what you did was worthwhile.
I will make sure I’m not the cause of my own FOMO.
I fully admit that I am the cause of my own FOMO 75 percent of the time. While that’s a horrific conclusion to come to, it’s also a pretty easy problem to find a solution for.
Jealous of the dinner party your roommate is hosting? Text a few friends, and see if anyone wants to go out for dessert. Don’t want to sit at home alone on a Friday night, but don’t really want to go out either? Invite the girls next door over for a movie night.
But, most importantly: When your friends invite you to do something, say yes. This is especially true if you tend to feel like your group is always going out, yet you’re never there. While alone time can be great, if you’re constantly ditching your friends for your pre-lab assignments, they might stop inviting you all together.
Put yourself out there. Try to create plans instead of waiting for them to always come to you. Your outlook will change the minute you do.
Photo courtesy of Pexels