We won’t tell anyone you stayed in…
Is it because I’m older? Maybe I’m getting lazy…more mature? It must be the cold! Whatever it is, I think I have gotten over the disease…I found some type of cure, and I actually think I’m okay. I am surprisingly satisfied with sitting at home on a Friday night…. Now, to you this may sound stupid. You may be thinking, “Yes, many people stay home on a Friday night. What’s the big deal?” But as a newly acclaimed survivor of the most prominent disease at UVA, I can genuinely say, it’s a pretty big deal. I am a survivor of FOMO….
Okay awkward place to end a paragraph, I know. What on earth could FOMO be? I hear the little wheels turning in your head, asking, “Is there a cure? Will she be okay?” I can now say with full confidence, YES, I will survive. Now to help you better understand this “problem” maybe I should further explain what “FOMO” really means. So, definition (brought to you not by Miriam Webster, but by yours truly), “FOMO [pho-mo] disease: The Fear of Missing Out.” Stop. Soak it in and ha, I see it! You read the words and I know exactly your thoughts. “Oh my goodness, I have it!” Yes, we all do, and those four little letters have done the honors of labeling our disease under one nice little term.
What are the symptoms? Just imagine, Susie Q has had one of the roughest weeks yet. Tests, lack of sleep, and barely anytime for good food. Then as it starts to get darker and darker on a Friday night, all Susie Q can think of is who is out and what is going on? Now, lets all admit it, if there was “nothing going on,” Susie Q would be climbing right into bed. She would snuggle in her comfy pjs and watch a movie until her fried brain unfried back to normal. But this scenario is easier said than done. Susie Q’s body may be BEGGING her for a break, but then the texts roll in and the thoughts creep into her mind. Am I going to be missing out on the most fun night EVER? Staying in could be total….social suicide!
However ladies, waking up at 7:00am after a cozy night of movies with good friends taught me something quite valuable: we sometimes don’t quite appreciate our quality time. After a week of being drilled with work, our bodies need nothing more than a simple break and sadly, going out is not always the best option. Pushing aside that FOMO that leaves you feeling dead post-weekend, will really help serve your body the way it NEEDS to be taken care of. All fun has a time and place, but really, we all love our bodies too much to push its demands aside for a night of potential fun. So realize FOMO may be telling you that staying in tonight will change the whole course of your life. Well, maybe it will, but in a positive way that will only make your next night out that much more valuable. So take a chill pill (no pun intended) and relax…I can guarantee your body will thank you in the morning.