In this day and age in which everything everyone does appears on some form of social media, it’s hard to avoid the dreaded “Fear of Missing Out.” We’ve all been there. We all know the feeling. You’re scrolling through Instagram or checking out snapchat stories, only to find that everyone seems to be having the time of their lives. And what are you doing? Lying in bed wearing sweatpants, the most snapchat-worthy part of your night being the entire bag of Doritos you just polished off.
FOMO can be a real downer, but Valley has some tips for getting your mind off of the feeling and instead appreciating some well-deserved downtime.
Turn Off the Phone
This is an obvious solution. As addicting as it may be to check social media every five seconds, this is only feeding into the feeling that you’re missing out on doing something fun. Plus, you have to remember that those who are posting on social media are only doing so because they have something going on – there are plenty of people just like you who are staying in but aren’t posting anything about it!
Junior Ben Wagner says it simply —“I just focus on what I’m doing instead of worrying about what others are doing.” And the best way to forget about others is to turn off the phone and make tonight your night.
Start a Series
Chill nights in don’t have to be boring. You can finally dive into one of those television shows that you’ve been dying to watch but haven’t gotten the chance to. Make Netflix your company for the night and don’t be ashamed if you end up burning through an entire season. A great way to nix the FOMO is to focus on not feeling guilty for the way you spend your own time. If a TV binge is what you want to do, Valley doesn’t judge you – we applaud you.
Make Future Plans
Sometimes FOMO gets you thinking you’re an antisocial person who doesn’t have people to hang out with. And while this is just your head playing mind games with you, there are ways to shake off the feeling. Before you turn off your phone for the night, text a couple friends to see if they want to grab lunch the next day or go to a movie the next night. You’ll feel good knowing that you have plans to look forward to, and it will help you justify spending a night in with nothing to do!
FOMO can be hard to deal with, especially if you’re missing out on something you really wanted to do. But find comfort in the fact that there are so many things to look forward to, and missing out on a night or two doesn’t mean much in the long run. Plus, if you can get your mind off of what you’re not doing and focus on what you are, this time away can be great for regenerating mentally and physically so the night time you go out you’ll have that much more fun!
