The acronym for "Fear Of Missing Out", FOMO was a rather recent find but conceptually holds true for long. In 2013, the word “FOMO” and its definition were added to the Oxford English Dictionary but the idea is pretty old as compared to the lexicon. The anxious feeling of having been at a better place and time in comparison to other individuals has been always on top of the human mind in the social setting.
The term took the shape when people tend to become closer and the world smaller, thanks to social media. Nir Eyal pointed out a study in Computers in Human Behaviour featured a series of ten statements such as “I get worried when I find out my friends are having fun without me,” and asked participants to rate themselves from one to five on how well those statements correlated with their own lives. The study found that three-quarters of respondents (mostly college-age students) experienced FOMO.
Well, we always tend to have likability for things others have, don't we? That's FOMO summed up in my opinion. With the advent of social media, where all seem like blitz and glamour, this term for such an anxious feeling has been rampantly used. Only because we fail to see underneath, do we give in to such feelings. The existence of books titled "FOMO: Marketing to Millennials" proves how these feelings of ours are leveraged for minting money. Who hasn't watched the Social Dilemma on Netflix?
While FOMO is here to stay for until we no longer remain social beings(which is probably never), it can be, however, kept in check for overall sanity and wellbeing.
Somethings that have personally helped me are:
Stop comparing and don't give in to the life portrayed on internet. Seek out for connections and realise their life is not as simple as their Insta stories.
Take a break and cut down on social media if necessary.
Change the focus and pay attention to things that motivate you and give joy rather than sapping away your confidence.
Lastly, easier said than done, BUT
Compete with the current version of yourself rather than others.