How To Fight Fomo!

FOMO (fear of missing out) is our generation’s arachnophobia (the fear of spiders), not just a really bad ‘90s film and Cosmo’s Joshua Joynes suffers bad. So, how can we kick it to the curb?

- Joshua Joynes

I hate missing out. There, I’ve said it. Whether it’s afterwork drinks, a family dinner, or a weekend away with friends, the thought of not being involved in what’s always bound to become ‘the best night ever1’ make me seriously anxious. And this FOMO even extends to things that I don’t particularly like. Recently, I was invited to a gym opening and almost had a fit trying to convince myself to go, out of fear of not being at something social or missing out on a networking opportunity. Thankfully, the mere thought of celebrating exercise was enough to convince me not to make an appearance. But you betcha I had a serious case of the ol’ FOMO all the way home. My head was plagues with instant regret and my stomach was in knots – yep, just your average Tuesday night.

I convinced my self FOMO was a good thing, turning that fear into motivation. I said yes to absolutely everything, and tried to fit it all in. The reality? I was setting myself up for failure, and as it turns out, I’m not alone

‘FOMO is becoming increasingly common with so many more opportunities for communication and information, which allows us to have more access to what’s happening around is,’ explains psychologist Nancy Sokarno (Lysnhealth.com.au). ‘We have up-to-the-minute, real-time access to what everyone is doing.’

SMOKES AND MIRRORS