FOMO is the contraction of the term fear of missing out. It is a social anxiety, a fear of experiencing regret that keeps us glued to our phones and social media lest we miss out on something – something fun, novel, profitable, entertaining or satisfying. Now where there is an action, there is a reaction; so we now have JOMO to counter FOMO. JOMO is the joy of missing out; a deliberate switching off; reprioritising to tune out the clamour and clutter of the always-connected world.
You only live once they said. Live your life to the full they said. ‘They’ made us anxious to pack as much as possible into life: have fun, meet new people, have different experiences, never miss an opportunity. So really YOLO was the precursor to FOMO.
FOMO is that nagging feeling that you have to be on your toes at all times to make the right choices and decisions. Psychologists say that we humans have a need to feel connected and related to others; social media offers endless means to satisfy this need, which is why so many become dependent upon social media.
People with extreme FOMO could become unhealthily dependent upon the internet and may feel anxious and troubled when they are offline. FOMO could impact psychological health negatively and even contribute to depression.
There could be physical symptoms of FOMO such as sweaty palms. Since FOMO often results in compulsive social media checking, grades can suffer and there could be a negative impact on one's concentration while driving.
This is the Joy of Missing Out. This is a deliberate simplification; a paring down of life where we say no to nonessential things so that life becomes less overwhelming.
Thanks to social media, many of us experience a great deal of pressure: to be seen at the right places, with the right people, doing and wearing all the cool things. JOMO is a deliberate thumbing of the nose at those expectations; and about doing things that we really want to and enjoy doing.
JOMO is about getting your priorities right and examining what is important to you; about spending time doing things that really matter. It is also about giving yourself permission to just be without constantly doing.
When you don’t want a bunch of unnecessary drama in your life, you simplify, disconnect and detox. You can spend time in the real world with actual people instead of virtual interactions. So, the next time you travel someplace new, don’t take pictures to ‘share’ on Facebook. Instead simply revel in the movement, commit fully to the here and now. The next time you have a truly spectacular meal, resist the urge to create a boomerang for Instagram. Instead ‘like’, savour each bite as opposed to gathering ‘likes’.
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