FoMO… FEAR of MISSING OUT…
“the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out – that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you”.

Under this framing of FoMO, nearly three quarters of young adults reported they experienced the phenomenon.

My first run in with FoMO was with a colleague. There was an upcoming seminar which she admittedly had no time, money or interest in attending. When she took the pulse of a group of friends and a few indicated that they would be attending, she became anxious and consumed with attending. It was as if a switch had been turned on. She had FoMO FEVER.

Findings show those with low levels of satisfaction of their fundamental needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness tend towards higher levels of fear of missing out as do those with lower levels of general mood and overall life satisfaction.

While happiness and life satisfaction are the antibodies for FoMO, emails and social media are the perfect carriers for this fever.

Our phones are always at our side and the overriding fear that someone might post something that we will miss is a sad statement of what gives life meaning. There must be emptiness, even a sadness that needs to be filled to resort to such desperate measures. And the comparison we find ourselves doing with the Facebook Fallacy of a happy, well-balanced and fulfilled lives does nothing be rob us of any joy and meaning or our experiences.

What is the FEVER treatment to combat FoMO?  We need to fight the sadness and fill the void with rich, deep social connections. Put down the damn phone and be present. Joy and happiness are about attention. If we give attention to them, they will be felt.

Finally, there are blessings and miracles all around us. Turn to gratitude on a regular basis. With these interventions, FoMO will be a thing of the past!