FOMO: Part 2- Breaking the cycle of exhaustion

A quick recap:

In the previous article, “FOMO: The cycle of exhaustion explained” we tried to:

• Understand the complexities behind the simple phenomenon of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

• We summarised it as a feeling of “Am I doing enough? Are not the others doing more?”

• We found out that FOMO – like many other worldly things – does not discriminate, and affects every age group and gender category.

Image from Unsplash.com by @gabrielbenois

• We observed that students are one of those categories; readers may well relate to this.

• We also highlighted the different ways in which FOMO manifests itself in students.

• We underlined that we are better equipped to face challenges with proper character building.

However, if Part 2 is the first article to have caught your attention, please consider going through the link in order to diagnose yourself or someone you know or just for the basic understanding of FOMO.

Now that it is clear as to what, why and how FOMO happens, it is vital to ask the question,

“Is there is a way out?”

Thanks to the acknowledgement of the problem, people have pondered over solutions.

As unbelievable it might sound, there does exists an opposite of FOMO, JOMO, the Joy Of Missing Out. And as, Kristen Fuller, M.D of Psychology puts it one should embrace JOMO which acts as an antidote of FOMO. As part of the era which adopts trend, JOMO might be the trend we should sought. But in order to achieve that, there is an immediate need for targeted efforts.

The simple steps that can be taken consciously and persistently are:

• Being mindful of our attention. Paul Dolan in his book Happiness by Design explains the importance of allocating our attention to something positive on the realisation that something is negative for us. Hence making conscious changes will contribute in having a positive mind.

• Research also suggests that subtracting moments that we cherish from our lives helps us appreciate them leaving behind a sense of gratefulness. Abundance gratitude has lesser inclination towards anxiety, loneliness and FOMO. It is a good exercise to take some time to think of the things that one is grateful.

• Accepting that less is also more is important. It is essential to appreciate our own selves for our tiny achievements. For instance, an exam taken, a paper read, a meaningful conversation. Giving ourself credit for the smaller things is cardinal. The negative effect of someone else’s achievement is overlooked when one is content with ones’ own position in life.

• As basic it may sound, it is important to keep a track of the amount of time spent on social media and the kind of our personal usage. Arti Gupta, a psychologist says that it is a cognitive-behavioural therapy tactic which will track the advances of potential FOMO.

• And lastly, when with family and friends, it is important to keep that phone down. When at a conference, take note of interesting perspectives and not Instagram and when at a concert, enjoy the band and not constantly check on your peer’s published article. We need to stop mixing all the possibilities. We need unlearn our ways of availing opportunities.

The trick to not miss out is, to partake in opportunities individually.

Stop seeking social media validation.

We as students can crumble under the pressure of academic stress, accompanied by anxiety. But the brighter side of awareness is the accessibility of detailed solutions. We can build our character differently. Instead of succumbing to FOMO, we can adopt a stable pace.

FOMO has a cure. Students as we are, competition and heavy work load are a part of our lives. It is important to tackle the minor roadblocks to establish mental balance. Anticipation leading to regret leading to exhaustion is a FOMO pattern which we break by following simple steps consistently and consistence is not an alien word for us students.

Let us all be mindful towards mind-FULLness.

References

• The Psychology of FOMO | Fear of Missing Out | King University Online. (2019). Retrieved 2 September 2021, from https://online.king.edu/news/psychology-of-fomo/

• Dolan, P., & Kahneman, D. (2014). Happiness by design. Hudson Street Press.

• Koo, M., Algoe, S. B., Wilson, T. D., & Gilbert, D. T. (2008). It’s a wonderful life: mentally subtracting positive events improves people’s affective states, contrary to their affective forecasts. Journal of personality and social psychology, 95(5), 1217. (mental subtraction)

Author:

Jeny Jose

Assistant Editor at GJSD

September 13, 2021

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The opinions expressed in this article/publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of GiLE or its members.