3 Ways To Deal With Your Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) on Social Media

I’ll log onto Facebook with the intention of going in and out. Before I know it, more than 20 minutes have passed and I realized I just got sucked into the vortex of other people’s lives and neglected to get things done on my own “To Do” list. I simply didn’t want to miss out.

Why is there this fear of missing out?

What are we looking for when we go onto social media? The whole point of social media is to “connect” and “engage.” Am I really engaging after a certain time frame (like after five minutes) or have I become a habitual feed scroller looking for the latest news, announcements, eye candy photo shares or whatever?

We all want to be in the know and not feel we’re missing out, however there really aren’t enough hours in the day. We have our own lives to live and our own things that need to get done.

Here are three ways to deal with the FOMO’s on social media:

1) Set the timer on your iPhone for 10 minutes, comment as needed, but once that timer goes off, get off the Facebook and social media. Now.

2) Look at your own “to do” list, and commit to your own priorities. Every time you say “yes” to one thing (ahem Facebook) you say “no” to another thing. Focus on your most important tasks and don’t stop until you’re finished.

3) Accept that there will ALWAYS be streams of incoming information and yes, you will miss out on some things. But if you’re intentional about keeping focused on your own tasks and keeping your eyes on your own page, you’ll find your FOMO habit will start to dwindle and you will be able to do more with the time you have.

You’ll realize you have this great life of your own to lead and get out of “comparisonitis” or “there’s more going on in his/her life” than mine syndrome. You’ll have an appreciation for the gifts in your own life. Hopefully these three hacks will help you live it.