How FOMO is affecting your mental health, and needs to be addressed

It’s human nature to always compare our lives to those of others. Why do we envy those who are more popular or successful? When someone else ‘achieves or gains something’, why do we feel like we’ve ‘lost out’? Why do we psyche ourselves into believing that others always have it better than us – jobs, opportunities, friends, social lives, experiences, luck – the better of everything.

This, in turn, often results in what is now known as – ‘FOMO’ or the ‘Fear of Missing Out’. FOMO is basically increased and pervasive anxiety or apprehension of missing out on social events or experiences that others are perceived to be having.


Sadly, FOMO leads to a compulsive desire to stay connected with other people’s lives online. We get addicted to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to a degree where checking up on what others are doing or how they are reacting to our posts – becomes all-important and all-consuming. In recent years, the instantaneous window that the social media provides into the lives of others has taken FOMO to an all-time high.

Why do we believe that following the lives of others on the social media will enrich our own lives? Instead of wanting to experience the real world, why do we now prefer to look at it through a virtual window?

The social media is a powerful tool for staying connected in the modern world. However, it does not give a full and accurate picture of people’s lives, being more like the trailer of all of their good times and high points. And so, in many ways, the social media version is a false reality.

Studies show that FOMO leads to extreme dissatisfaction and has a detrimental effect on our physical and mental health – mood swings, loneliness, feelings of inferiority, reduced self-esteem, extreme social anxiety, and increased levels of negativity and depression. It is not surprising that the use of anti-depressants has risen sharply in recent years due to FOMO.

How do we overcome FOMO?
Reducing dependency on social media will definitely help. We can also attempt to better understand the lives of those who are less privileged than us. Giving time to a charitable or social cause involving those who are less fortunate can eventually help us realise how fortunate we are.

Instead of obsessing over others, maintaining a mood journal to keep a record of our own thoughts and feelings could benefit our state of mind greatly. And we should constantly remind ourselves to value all that is good and meaningful in our lives – family, friends, security, health and / or whatever else that matters.

Were these to be taken away from us – that would be the real ‘Fear of Missing Out’, wouldn’t it?