I was recently with my family when I admitted to having a serious case of FOMO, or "fear of missing out" when I am away from them.I feel as though I miss out on so many moments and jokes and bonding and well, everything!!!! And let's face it, I am not the only one that feels this way when I am away from family and friends. Our society today is all about showing off the life that we have as better than the other person. We are conditioned to make others be jealous or fearful of what could have been memories for ourselves. I think a lot of us are feeling the effects of FOMO even more as we have social media that pointedly is there to make us know what everyone else is doing- and isn't that more fun than staying in and reading a book or working on a project? What I am realizing is that I need to let this FOMO go. This is an ongoing process, but I’m finding that it starts with learning when to put my phone down, log out and unplug and enjoy what I do have around me. To stop and pray and say, "God you have given me this life, and right now you want me to live it well, help me see what I should be doing with my time and let go of what I cant control."
Social media certainly has its perks, but we simply cannot use it to compare our lives to the lives of others. We cannot allow it to be the thief of our joy.We also have to understand that at any given moment we will be missing out on something. I miss out on moments with my family and friends and that is ok. My friends and family are still a big part of my life, but that means letting go of the gripping fear that my life is less important than the rest. We cannot be everywhere all of the time. We cannot do it all; there will be experiences in life that we just have to miss out on. Guess what? That’s okay! Your worth isn’t measured by how social you are or how many parties you attend, your worth is so much more than what others are seeing on Instagram.
Being content means not looking for constant outside validation, but rather, being happy with who you are and what you are not. It means being perfectly delighted by your own company and confident in the way you spend your time, even if that means turning down an invitation to stay in for a night of rest.
"Some people are hardwired to be extroverts, bouncing from one event to another. They never crave times of solitude. Not all of us have that personality.To both the introverted and extroverted reader, find ways to become your own best friend. The confidence gained when we learn to be comfortable alone serves to make us a better friend for when we are back in the presence of others." -Darling Magazine
So calm down, put your phone away and don’t worry about what you may be missing. Choose to focus on where you are right now, who you are with right now, and make the memories count that you have been given!
Trying to be present!
Your Nomad,
Summer
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