The Fear of Missing Out
Yara Abuelreish
The fear of missing out is sweeping the nation, nay, the world. Teenagers, adults, elders; no one is safe. Ever since the first caveman was left behind to complete his procrastinated hunt while his buddies went out to…draw? (I have no idea what cavemen did in their free time), humans have always had a certain anxiety about missing out on all the inside jokes and the “Do you remember when we…” that follow social outings. Is there a cure? In short: no. However, there are a few ways to lessen the trepidations that weigh on your heart when seeing those Snapchat stories.
1.If you’re busy with something else
i-Realize social media is a carefully manicured portrayal of one's life.
I don't want to go all Essena O' Neil, but social media is not real life. It's a deliberately tailored image representing someone's life. This doesn't mean that everyone is actually miserable, but it does mean that behind every selfie is a reality. Remember the times you went out with your friends; were you happy and laughing every other second? No. Were there good times? Of course, but it was definitely not as fun as you perceive it to have been. We tend to look at the past with more fondness than memories deserve. You have to strip the images and statuses from their glossy overtones and see them as 10 second pathways into the event, not the entire event.
ii-If it was the best-est party ever, there will be many, many more
Turns out every fear you had of missing out on the fun was justified. Your crush came to that party, a celebrity showed up, dancing and emotional confessions commenced and you missed out. Guess what? This isn't the last party/gathering on the face of the Earth. Sure fun things happened then, but on the bright side, they will happen again and again until you're sick of them. Having fun isn't limited to one particular event, it's subjective and you can apply it to every little thing in your life, and it’s important to realize that having your own fun is much more rewarding than getting anxious over others'.
2. When you are not invited:
i. Maybe this is a sign you should let these friends go
That group you were really close with last year, or even last week, repeatedly go out without telling you, splashing their pictures all over social media. You talked to them about it, but they didn't take it to heart and continued with their actions. I don't know how much clearer they can get, but this is a sign they're not very good friends to you and it may be time to let them go. This doesn't mean you should cut them off completely, but it’s very comforting to loosen the bonds and relieve yourself of the distress that comes with missing out. If you believe you can handle still being close to that person while being excluded from social outings, there’s no need to change a thing, but make sure you really are comfortable in your situation or else it will continue to plague your life with negativity.
ii. Take the initiative with plans
Rejection is one of the scariest things for anyone. Getting a "No." as a response haunts all of us, but sometimes you have to face that fear head-on. Whenever you feel like going out, ask the people you like hanging out with. It's easy and not as big a deal as we often make it out to be. This doesn't apply to "special friends” only, this applies to every friend you’re missing and want to reconnect with. So, don’t wait around for someone, and just go for it yourself!