FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Most of us have heard of FOMO – or Fear of Missing out.
Many of us actually experience this.
The fear, or perhaps worry of just missing something – anything – that could potentially happen should we not be around to witness it.
This silly sounding notion can run rampant in our lives and cause us to sometimes sign up for more than we really bargained for – more than we can sometimes really expect ourselves to follow through with.
Sillier still – sometimes this fear of missing out will cause us to miss out on things – events, gatherings, meetings, just so that we can attend or bear witness to something completely unrelated, and realistically, something that we could probably stand to miss.
In this Covid-19 days, we have been experiencing this fear of missing out more than ever.
While in reality, as some places continue to endure lockdowns and businesses forced to shutter – there probably isn’t anything we are actively missing.
On the other hand, these very same things are causing us to miss out on some really vital things.
Like first and foremost – the normalcy of day to day living.
Getting up, getting dressed, battling traffic just to sit in our offices with the rest of our work mates.
Going out for lunches or running to the gym on our breaks.
Heading out with friends for a post work drink, or even just leaving work to head to the store.
Weekends spent at family events, the mall, a museum, the library, or meeting new people at a park.
Experiencing the little things, and the big things that our communities have built up and have grown to make annual traditions.
Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversaries, Death, births.
Movie Theatres, zoo’s, Church, pools.
Spa days, weekend getaways and full blown vacations.
Maybe this fear of missing out is actually a real thing?
Maybe this fear of missing out is really quite valid.
While I’m sure a good number of us can easily very quickly get complacent and settle in the surroundings and circumstances that we are dealt with.
Perhaps we can find happiness and peace in some unlikely places.
These things aren’t entirely unrealistic.
But should we consistently be forced to settle?
Is this our true happiness?
These endless days of our own four walls and not much beyond it. If this was it – would we truly be happy?
In some ways, yes, things can always be worse.
As human beings we have been forced to change and adapt countless times just as we will continue to do so throughout the course of our futures.
And while these days are hopefully numbered. With hope, freedom, and adventure eagerly awaiting our return on the other side.
This fear of missing out will turn into something that may resemble a glimpse of the roaring 20’s.
Gathering, celebrating, entertaining, living life to our fullest potential and making up for the time that has been lost.
This fear of missing out may perhaps turn into the happy and blissful exhaustion.
Long days joyfully filled with anything, and everything. Or maybe even the nothing that we choose.
Whenever this ends – whenever life returns to ‘normal’, we will always needs these long days of peace, quiet, and our own four walls.
Missed events, missed gatherings, skipping the store.
Rainy days spent baking and reminiscing about 2020 and 2021 and everything that we learned and brought forward from them.
We will still need slowness.
Life after all isn’t a sprint – but a marathon.
We all do need to pace ourselves.
However at some point, we all also need to run.
Freely. Wildly. Happily. In whichever direction we choose or maybe many directions at once.
Whatever we fear missing out of the most.
So that hopefully one day again, we miss nothing at all.
Guest Blogger Rayna Davies
Rayna Davies is a graduate and practitioner of Business Management. She has developed an expertise in blogging, covering subjects like travel, world events and security. Having grown up with a father who has developed an expertise in Physical Security and Executive Protection in the RCMP and two major corporations, she has personally observed and experienced many security details. These experiences have included personally meeting HM Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Jean Chretien and many celebrities. She presently assists Sentinel Security in Executive Protection workshops and guest blogging and also assists Gloprosec Preventative Services in Intelligence gathering and Business Administration. Her passions include World travel, having visited every continent.
