Ah, good ole FOMO. For those who are not familiar with the term, FOMO is an acronym for “Fear Of Missing Out”. An example of this would be if I was invited to go out for dinner and drinks at a new restaurant, but I am completely exhausted from the day, or I didn’t get any sleep the night before. Suddenly, even though I am exhausted and would love to just relax at home or got to bed, I am engulfed with FOMO. What if I miss out on something really fun? This could possibly be one of the best nights of my life. And, not to mention, I don’t want to feel lame by choosing to stay in instead of going out and being social. So, what do I do? Should I listen to my body, telling me that I really need to relax and take the night to recharge? Or do I give in to the feelings of FOMO, taunting me, filling me with thoughts of “what if’s” and anxiety. Well, I am here to say that FOMO will travel along wherever you go, and it is absolutely okay to not give into it.

FOMO has really been a problem for me so far in this program. I mean, I am in a beautiful country, so why not do everything humanly possible? I think that is everyone’s thought process when coming into this program, as it certainly was mine. However, now that we are entering week four, I have a slightly different attitude regarding FOMO. I, for one, am someone who needs some alone time to survive. I have sacrificed a lot of that needed alone time because of FOMO. In turn, I was more drained and exhausted than ever before. So, I decided that I would try my best to ignore the FOMO harassing me, and listen to my body and mind. Since I made that decision, I have felt so much better. Of course, the FOMO still lingers when I decide to say no to something, but I know that I am truly doing it for my well-being. I am not saying that people should just lie in bed and watch Netflix half the time, or to be an anti-social hermit. I am just saying that it is okay to do your own thing every once in a while. And I am saying that it is more than okay to take a step back and say no to something when your body and mind are telling you to take a small break.

It is easy to get caught up in the world of FOMO here, and it can quickly run you down. Take some time to look after your mental and physical health here. Ignoring the FOMO every once in a while has made my experience here a whole lot better, so do not feel pressured to do every single thing. Know yourself and know when to ignore the FOMO.

Don’t let FOMO control yo life no mo’,

Emma Rose