The fear of missing out, or FOMO, is defined as persuasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent. FOMO causes feelings of social exclusion, jealousy, and resentment towards others. The fear of missing out has been proven to affect social isolation, relationships, and the mental health of many teens and adults. Why is that? Let’s find out.
The fear of missing out has become increasingly more common in today’s society. Teens, ages 10-19, are most susceptible to experience FOMO. This is largely due to the influence of social media. Social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, allow viewers to see the “highlights” of other people’s lives without the behind the scenes struggles. This can create unrealistic expectations for our lives and make us feel like we are not living up to our potential. Many struggle with the overwhelming pressure of having to be available at all times, keeping up with social trends, and constant online engagement in order to feel included.
People will often attend events or activities, not because they want to, but because they feel like they have to in order to avoid missing out on the experience. This has led to a culture of overcommitment, causing a great deal of damage to the well-being of many individuals. In addition, the constant comparison to the lives of others has resulted in low self-esteem and self image.
Some individuals have expressed the opinion that the fear of missing out will drive people to work harder to achieve their goals through competition. However, it often brings feelings of insufficiency and causes us to feel a sense of failure. Personally, I have experienced many instances of FOMO in my social life. I often see my peers out at concerts, hanging out, etc. While I value my alone time and enjoy spending nights at home doing things for myself, I still struggle with feeling left out.
Overcoming these powerful feelings is difficult, but not impossible. One of the most effective ways to limit FOMO is to cut down on our social media influence. Instead of obsessing over what we don’t have or haven’t experienced yet, it is important to focus what we do have to be grateful for in our own unique lives.
Overall, the fear of missing out is a large factor in the decline of the social and mental well-being of many individuals. However, we must remember to not compare ourselves to others on social media and enjoy where we are in the race of life.
What are your thoughts on FOMO?
Have you ever personally experienced FOMO?
How have you, if at all, dealt with overcoming your fear of missing out?
Fear Of Missing Out - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Psychology Behind FOMO - Forbes
Replies
I totally agree! FOMO is not talked about enough on social media, especially when social media is often the root of many people's fear of missing out.
I think that everyone can experience FOMO at some time in their life because it can be very easy to get left out. I have experienced FOMO when I don't feel good or I am just very tired and I feel like people are doing all these things without me. However, I have learned that do try to do everything I have the oppourtunity to and to go out and do different activities instead of just sitting at home all day.
I agree. Sometimes FOMO affects us the most when we literally can't go to something because of illness, etc. I think that spending time doing things for yourself and becoming at peace with what with you've done is an important way to get over FOMO.
I think FOMO is something most people overlook that has a serious impact on people's mental health. I've experienced FOMO before and it's a hard thing to get through because the feeling is entirely on you and you can't identify anything to "fix" in order to feel better. I think the best way to get through that is to accept that others may be having fun there but would you? They may get to go to a concert but is it an artist you like to listen to? If so, chances are it's not a once in a lifetime experience and you can organize your own outing to do what they're doing but on YOUR time.
Those are such good points! I really like how you gave the example of putting yourself in the situation that you may be missing out of and determining if it is worth it to you enough to stress out over it. I think that is a really good way to cope with FOMO and maybe help us realize how to spend OUR time doing what WE like.
I think that FOMO is a big thing in high school. Many teenagers are worried about missing out on a party or activity. But I also think it is something that just comes with being in highschool. there are so many things going on each week that its hard to go to everything. I also think I have FOMO sometimes.
I think that FOMO is a big thing that people deal with, especially younger teenagers. I have experienced it myself. I feel that this happens when we are "drained" and just not ourselves. We feel as if we are missing out on everything fun when we are not doing something with other people. I think everyone needs to accept that we are always going to miss out on something. Were not always going to be available to have fun, and we just kind of need to take that in and accept it before we let it get to us too much that a really messes with our heads.
I think that FOMO is something that everyone will experience in their life. I also think that it is something that people need to get over. This like many other things happens from time to time in life, and the best thing that we can do is learn from it. If you are missing out on something that your friends are doing, spend that time doing something else to improve your own life. Read, Hobby, Exercise, Etc.
I think that FOMO is real and very common. I experience it all the time, especially in social situations because I just don't know how to react/respond to them. Normally whenever I do experience it I just remove myself from the situation because it gets too stressful and awkward.
I think FOMO is very common in teenagers these days. I have personally had FOMO but I don't mind if people were to hangout or do something without me. I understand that they may just want to be with one person at a time, or don't want me there and that's fine with me. If I ever feel FOMO, I try to spend time with my family or spend time with some other friends.
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