FOMO

FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out – is defined as a form of social anxiety where you’re compulsivly checking to see what’s going on around you. Do you keep telling yourself “just 5 more minutes” while in bed checking Twitter or Facebook? This might seem quite familiar to you!

FOMO is enabled because of how much we like to share online – whether it’s on social media, or on our blogs. You can’t stop looking at what other people are doing because what if it’s more interesting that what you’re doing?

How do you stop those pangs of jealousy though? The main thing to remember is that most photos on Instagram and tweets are showing the situation from its best angles. Many Instagrammers will admit that their “quick snap” of a cup of coffee will be tweaked physically (make sure the best light is shining on the item, clear the clutter out of the way) and digitally (perhaps by using one of the many apps out there for your mobile phone) or even by using an SLR to take the photo (which feels a bit like cheating)

Perhaps it’s a bit obvious, but if you’re going “Oh, I wish I were there!” to a photo of a blogger meetup – make sure you’re there for the next one. Blogger meetups happen all the time, and while it’s frustrating that most of the time, many people will only find out the day before, promoting about any that you do know about means there’s one bound to pop up near you (and of course, the ultimate way to prevent it would be to organise one yourself!)

If you’re feeling jealous of not working with a brand that another blogger is working with – remember that although you might not have been suitable for their current campaign, you could end up working with them in the future. There are brands that you might have worked with that others will be jealous of – so don’t worry about what you’re missing out on, but instead, work on making your blog more amazing so the brands can’t help but want to work with you. (Avoid the straight up begging as well – that could work against you!)

FOMO? Say no no. (We resisted mentioning the Lonely Island song for as long as possible)

How do you stop FOMO feelings?