Out of the rat race

FOMO, or ‘Fear of missing out,’ also referred to as MMS (May Miss Out), is a real phenomenon that is becoming increasingly common and can cause significant stress in our life. Let us learn from those who have not succumbed to this malaise but, instead, followed their heart says Jamuna Rangachari

- Jamuna Rangachari

The main issue most of us have is finding the purpose of our lives. This we often do by seeing what others are doing and try to see where we could fit in. Earlier, it was our classmates, relatives, or neighbours; now, it is the entire world, as we all are connected through mass media and social media. We see someone vacationing in exotic locales and fear we might never be able to realise this dream. We see another one scaling up the corporate ladder and wonder if we have wasted our life as a homemaker. We see people partying like crazy and think we are missing out on all the fun. The list continues.

While it is good to know what is happening, it is foolish to think we need to be part of everything. This is where we need to find out what is real and relevant to us.

Bengaluru-based Supraja Mark (name changed), 46, joined an MNC Bank as Supraja Desikachar in 1996. She did pretty well in her career and also fell in love with her colleague Mark. They were sure of their choice and convinced their parents for their marriage although they were from different religions. After marriage, Supraja continued working and had two children.

At one stage, she wondered if taking so much stress handling both the fronts, the office and home, was worth it. She quit her job in 2001 and became a full-time homemaker and mother who took care of all her children’s needs. Her children are now balanced adults and Supraja has blended wonderfully in Mark’s home while Mark has completely blended in her family.