There is no such thing as the FOMO will you say? Oh believe me there is. When I first arrived in Germany, I got stung by this disease that might look like a running gag, but that truly affects you more than you could believe.

New encounters, friends, abundance of opportunities, travel possibilities, invitations, dinners, parties….Ouf!

It can get overwhelming! But hopefully, with a little spoon of work, patience, mindfulness and tricks, I can proudly say that I am cured and so will you! Ahhhh!

In this article I will define Fomo with a touch of humor and exageration so you can laugh about us, humans, and this disease of a generation. The next article will focus on efficient ways to defeat FOMO so don’t worry, you will get there mindful Padawans. 

My perhaps scientific definition of it would be something like:

‘’The constant impression that wherever you are and whatever you do, you might be missing something out elsewhere.’’

‘’A fear defined by an omnipresent but not omniscient voice in your mind, reminding you that you are missing something if you don’t do everything. Thus when you don’t do everything which is humanly impossible because you don’t have Hermione’s Time Turner necklace, you resent an uncomfortable guilt feeling.’’

‘’That uncomfortable impression you didn’t pick the right choice among many others and that you inevitably could be having more fun elsewhere. You trully can’t know but your subconscious still plays with your mind.’’

”The impression that you are not worth enough as a human being and that you should most definitely be doing bungee, learning how to cook, Sky-Diving, backpacking the world without money, being an accomplished entrepreneur…”

‘’This tendency to ask people how fun something you missed was and to trigger yourself with existential question such as ‘’Why didn’t I go’’  ”How could I miss that’,’ ‘What is wrong with me”, ”Tell me I didn’t miss much” and many other declinations of concerns, after they do confirm it was amazing. Of course it was amazing!’’

‘’A constant indecisive state in which you make sure to make the best choice as possible, which results in an exhausting decision-making process, even for decisions that are definitely not worth that much care. Ice cream flavors, really!?’’

‘’Something that will make any amazing thing you do less amazing, because your mind will be busy wondering .’’

‘’An exhausting lifestyle; You can’t do everything you stupid!!!!!’’

This was a lot of ways to say it but really, Fear of missing Out is a thing that most of us have at least experienced once. It can regards really tiny decisions or more life changing one.

One person suffering from FOMO could do crazy things such as double-booking, trying to fit way to many things on the same day as possible to be sure to NOT MISS ANYTHING, having invasing thoughts about what she is missing on, even thought the actual moment is completely fun, ignoring her own desire and level of tiredness to make sure to make it all or never keeping personal time in order to be everywhere, everytime. AAAAHHHHHH!!! Exhausting, isn’t it?

If you feel concerned, stay tuned for my tricks to defeat FOMO that I learned throught my first semester abroad and my journey as a yoga teacher and 22 years old human being. It is a process that needs work, but there is nothing more rewarding than being fully immersed in any given moment; nothing more rewarding than being fully somewhere.

See, there you are!

Feel free to share any FOMO related craziness or stories! We’ve all been there. 🙂