FOMO vs. JOMO: Why ‘missing out’ will benefit your mental well-being

In a fleeting passage through social media You may see various photos of friends enjoying the sea, a bar in Europe, at a mega party or doing extreme sports. Staying outside of these “happy” situations can cause an aftertaste bitterness and the thought: “They’re having fun without meI miss that”.

This fear is named after FOMO. The abbreviation FOMO comes from the English expression Fear of missing out (“fear of missing out” in Spanish). This fear of being left out can be associated with going out or social events, Job offers, communications or even issues of life in general.

For Cynthia Zajac, (MN 60105), head of the psychology department at the Caseros model sanatorium: “This is what I often observe in my patients. He fear do not upload photos or show where they are. There is a lot of travel on the topic. Always around economic figure like a yacht, a photograph of a passage, etc. The one who looks at it begins rethink your life and what does he do with her differently than with the other one,” he thought Information in a recent post.

Psychology graduate Juan Carlos Picassospecialist in family psychology and preventive medicine, director of the Life Center for Comprehensive Wellness, explained Information: “JOMO is freedom to enjoy about what we are doing in each moment without being aware of what others are doing, and which in turn is a response to another phenomenon, FOMO, which is the fear of missing out on something, being left out of touch, being no more enjoyable “

In its turn, Marcelo R. Ceberiopsychologist, Master of Family Therapy from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Master of Psychoimmunoendocrinology from the University of Favaloro, explained Information: “He conflict This happens because a person watches a friend or group of friends doing something, etc., and feels like they should have been there and weren’t, or worse, fantasize that he was excluded and that he was not invited, or “what am I doing here in my room, looking at my mobile phone”, or “studying”, or “playing with my cat” while everyone else is having fun drinking beer, dancing and laughing in a group. This mess Almost two thirds of all social media users in the world suffer from it, and this addiction remain conscious and dependent on the actions of others.

But new research shows it’s possible. enjoy the fact that you are “missing out on something.” For the best mental health This year, experts recommend rethinking the feeling of FOMO and instead try to switch to JOMO: the joy of missing something. What does it mean? This is also an abbreviation: the joy of missingwhich means “the joy of losing things” and invites you to live different experiences without thinking about the number of things you have lost. like that will be received, or if you really want to share them online.

“FOMO existed before social mediabut that wasn’t such a big part of our experience,” he said. Chris Barry, professor of psychology at Washington State University. With the advent of social networks, it became possible to see events from everyone’s life and thus, experts say, increased the opportunity to constantly compare oneself with others and, possibly, experience unpleasant emotions.

“Living in networks and appearances is very toxic. There is a reality, people want to belong, but it is important that when they want to be a part, they do not forget what is good for each person,” Hare emphasized.

Research shows that higher levels FOMO connected with decreased self-esteem, insomnia, decreased life satisfaction and increased loneliness.

According to another study, notifications Frequent applications require repeated task switching, which affects performance. “It affects attention capacity; “disrupts work and overall productivity,” the study emphasizes.

According to Ceberio, “FOMO produces high levels anxietyfollowed by stress and the tension created by trying to be in several places at once and not miss anything. In many cases, this attachment to the mobile phone leads to addiction, constantly being aware of the images and inner circle that cause symptoms headache, palpitationsSometimes sweating, as part of an anxiety disorder. Symptoms insomnia, anxiety, anxiety hypervigilant and mental reflections, as a way of thinking and rethinking the actions of others. Moreover, feelings loneliness And low self-esteem in a projection that affects the environment when you feel excluded.”

This also affects feeding. “Feelings envy And social isolation associated with bad eating habits. Moreover, FOMO, by encouraging widespread use of social media, leads to passive lifestyle what influences the epidemic obesity in young people,” the study reported.

October 4, 2021 for a few hours, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp They stopped working. Taking this into account carefully, the scientists decided to find out how this event affected users. Within two days after power outage Tali Gazitassistant professor of computer science at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and his graduate student Tal Eitan recruited 571 adults to answer a questionnaire assessing their feelings about the experience.

Initially, researchers hoped to discover feelings stress and FOMO, which in fact they found in abundance. But unexpectedly, in the optional open-ended questions, many wrote about relief and joy how they felt about being disconnected from social media and what happened to others, a 2023 study reports.

“Many people really They had fun and they found themselves talking to their partners, meeting their friends and doing business, cooking, playing sports– said Gazit.

Social connections are great, and social media, despite its many shortcomings and weaknesses, provides a means of communication. According to Barry, JOMO does not involve completely avoiding these connections or isolating yourself from others. Instead, he suggests intentionally taking periods of shutdown to recharge. Recommendations:

– Make regular plans to unplug. Gazit found that people who intentionally stayed away from social media had higher levels of psychological well-being compared to those who did not do so on their own, such as when they were asked to put their phone away in class.

– Use defensive strategies: For example, turn off notifications, set restrictions on certain apps, or turn off your device at night, Barry advised.

– Practice mindfulness or full attention: “The only thing this therapy does is train self-awareness and let go of everything that doesn’t add up. And in this way it will be possible to increasingly banish the idea that if I don’t go to a fashionable place, I won’t have a photo to upload, I won’t be left out in anything,” Hare explained.

Mindfulness is a therapy in which a person intentionally focuses on this momentfrom active modetrying don’t judge or evaluate what you feel or perceive.

– Use social networks in moderation: Cultivating JOMO does not mean completely disconnecting from the lives of others, but rather being more mindful of using social media and “think about emotions how you experience your content and think about what is helpful and what is not,” Barry said.

“Most of the time we are very busy with the lives of others,” Gazit said, suggesting that we make a conscious effort to take time to “take care of our own existence.”

– Provide more contact with the real world and a smaller one with a virtual world. Carry out group activities without resorting to virtuality.

– Put yourself first. Cebeiro explained: “It’s important to understand that you can’t be in everything. Value yourself, do exercises to strengthen your self-esteem. Try to collect obsessive thoughts and destroy them. Think about the present and don’t get distracted by the future or what others are going to do.”

– Organize events with friends: It is important to recover and appreciate the experience gained from socializing or playing in person. Thus, it will be possible to observe that live relationships have a different rhythm than the speed of everything that happens in networks.

– Remember that everyone misses something: The world is too wide, rich and diverse for one person to experience it all in a lifetime. “I always tell people that they need to get over this feeling that they are life is boring by person’s publication. You should go to a place because you really want to go, not because it’s trendy on social media; I want to buy something because I like it, not because everyone on Instagram is using it. The main thing is not to be drawn into a world of lies,” concluded the Hare.

– Define prioritiesbe selective with social events and learn to say noother ways to avoid FOMO and live a fuller and more conscious life.

According to Picasso: “Appropriate mental health expressed in people who have developed the ability to postpone or refuse the reward when it affects your health. He self-control And own domain These are tools that protect the health of mind and body, given the unity and close connection that exists between them.

And he added: “How to make sure that there is more JOMO in our lives? Although there is no formula to have more JOMO, I can say that transcendental decisions in life are made belief and they very rarely reach consensus. Beliefs arise in people who understand who they are they appreciate who they are and be able to be part of a group without giving up your identity, values ​​and beliefs. This will allow you to enjoy every moment of what you do without worrying about others.”

Appreciating and enjoying the joy of life in the present, whether with a loved one or alone, without thinking about what others are doing, is ultimately live Free.