The "Most Popular" Paranoia - FOMO

The next human fear, FOMO, a term coined by the author Patrick J.McGinnis, is an acronym which basically just stands for "The Fear Of Missing Out". Imagine, the weekend after a very tiring week, you (a zombie now) have finally finished all your work and have sat down to relax. You take out that steaming cup of hot chocolate, get that ginormous tub of popcorn, wrap yourself in a blanket, glue that smile to your face, and when you are just about to press the play button to start binge watching The Crown...a text pops up. As soon as you press to see the video that your BFFs have sent you, you are hit by a tsunami of FOMO. In there, pictures of shopping sprees and movie nights burst on your face and leave you feeling shocked and inadequate. A party without me, a movie night without me?! You are hit by a pang of envy and are left feeling insecure. And at last, you finally ask this terrible question to yourself - "Am I significant? Do I have any importance? Will people even remember me?!" This is purely FOMO. Therefore, to overcome this, you need to understand it first. So, scroll down😉

WHAT DOES FOMO DO?

FOMO disconnects us from people, it creates a panic-like situation in our mind. If for example you are in a meeting, and then suddenly there are billions of messages popping up in your group chat. Numerous questions start troubling you. "Should I answer them, what are they talking about, are we going out tonight? Wait, should I focus on my meeting, what's happening?! You become a mess and a total freakazoid😵 The next disadvantage of FOMO is that it prevents us from living in the present moment. After a busy day at office/school you finally have a small break. Maybe its for coffee or whatever, but now you are allowed to rest. But you can't! You think that you need to be constantly doing something. Maybe I should check out that video that's been circulating, you think. Or maybe I should read that

E-mail my friend sent me. You just can't relax and enjoy the moment😂 Moving on to the last major disadvantage of FOMO. You have a big deadline. You need to finish that report in two days! You are already panicking. Then your friend suddenly calls you up and asks you to come to her house for a movie. You debate your options. Boring history report or some fun with friends and to show off that new jacket that you bought just yesterday? Your mind starts procrastinating. I'm sure 60% people would choose going over to their friends'. Now you are watching that movie and laughing, and then out of nowhere, HERE COMES THE BOOM! You realize that you are doing the wrong thing. You should be finishing that report! A big tornado of stress and guilt starts stirring in your stomach. Now you are not even able to enjoy the movie. Guess your fear of missing out that party with your friends really messed up everything, huh?

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN FOMO

Don't get me wrong, social media and various other sites are great for connecting with people instantaneously and globally. But there's always an limit to how much we can connect. Sometimes, we may over-connect. Like updating our profile picture once in every two days and then waiting for those likes on Facebook and Instagram. This just stresses us out more and also wastes our precious time. Waiting with anxiety for those likes and responses by your friends and family is a major symptom of FOMO.

BUT WAIT, ARE THERE ANY ADVANTAGES?

Let me just make one thing clear...we are never getting over this paranoia of FOMO. To some extent, that's a great thing. To make our stand in the society we start doing different things, we try harder and accomplish better. This fear, this paranoia, it encourages us to strive higher and to break all boundaries. It guides us and tells us to take the obstacles, not as hurdles, but as challenges. You need to learn the difference between what actually interests you and what just fascinates you. Ask yourself - "Is this task really worth my time?" Make your decisions carefully, but in the end, stay happy😃

The paradox with FOMO is that no matter how hard you try, you are always missing out on something. You can't be omnipresent at all times, right? Try to live in the present and enjoy the moment. Make use of what you have now. There's a saying in Hindi - "Dil Mange More", which means that the heart always wants more and more. Try to stay happy with what you have and turn that FOMO into JOMO - Joy Of Missing Out. Start to enjoy by yourself, but remember, always stay happy! And as rightly said by the Dutch author Etty Hillesum - "That fear of missing out on things, makes you miss out on everything."

https://youtu.be/j26RP2T3-ns - Here's a song by Scotty Sire to vibe on!