Warning Signs FOMO Is Ruining Lives

1. What is FOMO?

Image Source: Reddit

FOMO means Fear of Missing Out. It is actually so prevalent in our culture, that it's become a genuine problem that mental health specialists feel the need to address. This feeling and the way we process it could have negative effects on our lives. While it's been increased by social media, it's been around long before then!

2. Do you have FOMO?

Image Source: Reddit

FOMO goes way beyond feeling envious of your friend's Bali trip being blasted on social media. It can end up affecting your work and your relationships. FOMO ends up controlling your life and the decisions that you make. At its most simple, FOMO is social anxiety that causes compulsive behavior. Do you think you suffer from FOMO?

3. Nothing is ever good enough

Image Source: Reddit

One of the biggest things with FOMO is when you're in one place, but you're never satisfied. You're always searching for a better place or cooler people or more exciting plans. Maybe you're out with friends but checking your phone to see where a better party is. It results in you missing out on being present and on everything else going on.

4. You can never just enjoy the moment

Image Source: Reddit

When you have FOMO, you aren't ever present. You're not paying attention to what's happening right in front of you, you definitely aren't listening, and you're most certainly not appreciating anything that's happening. You have a deep rooted anxiety that you KNOW something better is happening somewhere else and you're not part of it.

5. It changes how people view you

Image Source: Reddit

If that's how you're walking through life, then you're probably hurting people's feelings and isolating yourself without even realizing it. Imagine a friend invites you over, and you spend the entire time on your phone scrolling Instagram searching for something better. This ends up to be off-putting and ultimately destructive. Eventually, the invitations will stop coming.

6. Your romantic relationships will suffer

Image Source: Reddit

In a similar vein, your romantic relationships need time, care, and attention. Your partner wants you to be present with them. Most people deeply value attention and honesty in relationships. So this compulsive behavior that comes with FOMO breeds the exact opposite.

7. It will affect your work life

Image Source: Buzzfeed

Your work colleagues and/or clients will also feel this rejection. It will be quite obvious, even in work settings, that your job is not a priority. Your lack of care and attention will likely drive away your work relationships, because you are always concerned about what's going on outside the four walls of your job.

8. You might have a hard time keeping a job

Image Source: Reddit

FOMO doesn't stop at social settings. It can spill over into your work too. Of course, everyone wants to get ahead and get a job that pays well with good benefits. But there's a different between advancing in work and being happy vs. constantly wanting to leave your job because something better is out there (even if it isn't).

9. Your attention will be divided

Image Source: Reddit

Even if you don't love it, to be good at your job, you have to be willing to put in effort, time, and concentration. Ethically, you should try to be good at your job even if you know it's not permanent. If your focus is on constantly searching websites or emailing people about better jobs, your colleagues and boss will find out.

10. It will be hard for people to trust you

Image Source: Reddit

Whether at work or in personal relationships, you will have breeched people's trust. If you constantly have one food out the door, people will eventually resent you for wasting their time. You're also likely not holding up your end of a friendship or work project, which will only foster that resentment.

11. Even your creativity will be diminished

Image Source: Reddit

In order to engage in creativity, it means that you need to be fully present. Creativity demands your attention. You need to be open and engaged with your senses. If you are constantly focused on things that are out of your control, it will be a lot more challenging to embark on any creative endeavors.

12. Most of the time, it's an illusion

Image Source: Reddit

One of the signs of FOMO is "knowing" that something better is going on. This is often without any sort of proof. They feel like the word is passing them by, and their life won't be complete until they find that perfect better job, party, or friendship group.

13. It means you're living out a place of fear

Image Source: Reddit

FOMO is fear based. It's different than if you're out and you get a text from someone inviting you to a wild party or cool event. FOMO happens when there is no text or contact, but there's an underlying fear and anxiety that drives you. This can have long-term effects on your emotional, mental, and even physical health.

14. You will never get what you need

Image Source: Reddit

Even if you do eventually score the invitation to THE party or start dating THE person... your mentality is still infected with this idea of something better. So even when life hands it to you, it will never be enough. You probably don't even realizing this is happening!

15. You crave connection but can never find intimacy

Image Source: Reddit

Because you're always looking for something else, you never give too much time to developing intimacy and trust with your current partner or relationships. Your partner probably feels like second best at all times. If you find yourself comparing your friends or partner to people on social media, you're probably suffering from FOMO.

16. Your friends feel abandoned

Image Source: Reddit

Friendships, like any other relationship, have ups and downs. When you have FOMO, you're probably being a bad friend to your friends who are hurting or going through a difficult time. Friendships require a level of commitment that you're not able to give.

17. How does social media make you feel?

Image Source: Reddit

Pay attention to how you feel after using social media, whether it's scrolling Instagram or TikTok. If you notice that you feel depressed or anxious, then it's okay to take a break from them! They can be very addictive and make you feel dissatisfied with your own life, even though we're only seeing a small, perfectly curated snapshot of someone else's.

18. FOMO can make you the opposite of self-aware

Image Source: Reddit

In order to be the best versions of ourselves, it's important to know how to reflect on our own thoughts and behaviors. FOMO doesn't allow us to do this. We lack focus and connection to our very existence. We aren't able to accept our current status in life. It's a constant discontentment that doesn't go away. Don't let FOMO do this to you!

19. You forget what you actually want

Image Source: Reddit

Because you're so focused on all of these things that you think that you want or you think you're missing in your life, you start to lose sight of the things that you ACTUALLY want. You might accept invitations out of obligation or hang out with people you don't really care for.

20. So what can you to to help prevent FOMO

Image Source: Reddit

If you're reading this and feel like these things are happening in your life, there are a few different things that you can do to try to lessen the effects in your life. We should say that obviously, if things are really serious, we strongly encourage talking to a therapist or professional about how you're feeling.

21. Limit your social media activity

Image Source: Reddit

It's easier said than done, but you have to stop comparing your life to the lives you see on social media. Remember that it ISN'T REAL! Everyone's sharing their highlight reels. It's easy to forget that literally everyone has problems and hard times, and no one leads a perfect life.

22. Be fully present in whatever you're doing

Image Source: Reddit

Got a party or an event coming up? Make a conscious effort to go and be fully present in the place with the people you're there with. If this seems super challenging to you, then set a timer on your phone for one hour. Really give it your best effort to spend one hour listening, talking, and enjoying the present. No checking your phone during this time!

23. Work on your active listening

Image Source: Reddit

Try taking the time to truly listen to your friends. Make sure you're actively listening and asking follow-up questions. Listening in this way requires you to be connected. When you're connected, you won't be thinking about better people or places. This will help you rebuild any damaged friendships and strengthen them.

24. Don't focus on what you're missing

Image Source: Reddit

A FOMO sufferer said the biggest thing is to shift your focus. Try to place less emphasis on what you're missing and take inventory of what you have in your life right now. Take time to think about your own hopes and desires. Your friends won't abandon you if you have to turn down an event or you don't want to go to a particular party.

25. Learn to trust yourself

Image Source: Reddit

As mentioned, FOMO is fear based. So it's very possible that this fear stems out of a place of not valuing your trusting yourself or your intuition. Once you learn to trust yourself, you can learn to listen to yourself too! It will help quiet the voices that are consumed with missing out on things you don't even truly care about.

26. Remind yourself to be rational

Image Source: Reddit

It's completely impossible that EVERYONE is always having more fun than you. It's just not how life works. It's also irrational to think that the next "better" thing is going to be perfect. So if you're going to every bar and hating it, because you can't stop thinking about the next one, take a moment to ground yourself, look around, and take in where you are.

27. Figure out what you truly value

Image Source: Reddit

There are many moments in life that are absolutely valuable experiences that don't come in Instagrammable packaging. Of course, there are moments that are Snap-worthy, but a lot are not. Would you rather spend your life trying to impress others with what you're doing or just enjoy what you're doing for what it is because you like it?

28. Choose yourself sometimes!

Image Source: Reddit

Everything we experience in life comes at some sort of cost or investment. It could be in the form of our time or of our resources, but there are very few things that we do that don't absorb these to some extent. It's perfectly normal to not have the energy or capacity to commit to sacrificing these this. That doesn't mean you're missing out, it means that you're bettering yourself.

29. Don't let your insecurities win

Image Source: Reddit

Life moves really quick, and it's full of experiences, good and bad, that shape our feelings and our beliefs and our next steps forward. When you allow FOMO to take over, you're being fueled by insecurities, which basically ruins your ability to handle whatever comes your way.

30. It can be hard work

Image Source: Reddit

If you're stuck in FOMO world, it can take a bit of time and a lot of effort to change your patterns. If you've lived like this for a long time, don't expect it to change overnight. Share your struggles with those around you so that they can help you overcome it. You might be surprised at what you've been missing right in front of you!