Overcoming Holiday FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
This time of year comes with many invitations, from cookie-baking and shopping trips with friends to corporate holiday parties. It can be easy to get overwhelmed because you have other commitments, you're on vacation, or you just physically can't be at two places simultaneously, and FOMO can come rushing in.
FOMO can also come from a simple scroll on Facebook or Instagram, where you notice your best friend drinking a piña colada on the beach with friends or family while you are stuck at home shoveling snow for the third time. Let’s break down FOMO and how to overcome it this holiday season.
When you have FOMO, you most likely would be happier doing what someone else does. In thought work, we see that FOMO is a set of thoughts that creates fear/anxiety. I want you to understand that “missing out” is just a thought, and there is no such thing. We tell ourselves that because our friends are out holiday shopping or in St. Thomas, they must be happy, but remember that locations do not cause happiness; our thoughts do.
The other problem I see is that when we are in FOMO, we destroy the current moment by worrying about what others are doing or what they did without us. We have this false belief that there is a limited amount of pleasure or fun and that if our friends are experiencing it now, there is less for us. If they all had a cookie-baking party and had a good time, you would not be as happy because you weren’t there. The whole time you are mulling this over, you are missing out on your current life/corrupting the present moment.
Here are some tips to help overcome FOMO:
1). Explore what thoughts are creating the FOMO in the first place & ask: What feeling am I afraid I am missing out on?
2). Re-direct your mind away from scarcity and believing that if they had fun, and you weren’t there, then you missed out on the fun too, “Wait…That’s an option?!? Amazing! The more Joy/Fun/Happiness exists, the more there is available to me.
3). Work on being in the present moment as much as possible. Here and now is all we have, so find JOY now, even if you are in a waiting room at a dental office or courtside at a basketball game. Our thoughts create our feelings, not our experiences. Trust me, there is some kiddo crying right now in Disneyland.
4). Close your eyes, and whatever feeling you are afraid of missing out on, try to create it now in your mind with your thoughts. Roll your shoulders back, take a deep breath, and feel that feeling NOW.
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else.”
The more you try to soak in something pleasurable at this moment or find some thoughts that bring you peace and happiness, the less FOMO you will experience because you’ll realize there is no such thing as a future moment that is better than right now. There is always something unique going on, so choose to focus on what you are doing and what you are gaining by being fully present with yourself.
If you struggle with FOMO or any other issue I have blogged about, don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss one-on-one coaching to end your struggle and solve the problem.
Schedule your complimentary coaching call with me, and feel free to forward this blog to a loved one who may benefit.
Have a great rest of the week, everyone!
Melanie
P.S. Gift Certificates are still available. They make a wonderful and fun holiday gift! Please message me to learn more.
