Why FOMO is a NO NO
and how to avoid it
About ten years ago, a journalist contacted me for my view on FOMO. At this time, it was a fairly new syndrome but, like most syndromes, it’s now become common parlance, so much so that it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013.
For those people who have been on a silent retreat for the last ten years, FOMO is the Fear Of Missing Out. It’s that feeling you get when you see everyone else doing something and you feel like you’re missing out on whatever they’re doing. It can be anything from a party, a new product to a fabulous holiday.
Of course, this feeling has always existed. Throughout time, sitcoms have been based on keeping up with the neighbours or resenting a family member that appeared to have more but the envy was limited to the people you knew or knew of whereas, now, you have the whole world to get FOMO about.
So why is FOMO a NO NO?
The problem with FOMO is that it’s based on comparison and competition. You’re comparing your life to someone else’s and you think they’re doing better than you. This is not only untrue, but it’s also damaging to your mental health.
It’s believed that social media is the real culprit. And it’s true that Facebook and Instagram have a lot to do with FOMO. You think you’re getting a peek…
