FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. Urbandictionary.com defines FOMO as “The fear that if you miss a party or event you will miss out on something great”. It manifests itself in the anxiety you get when your body wants to fall into bed but there is some social event happening that you can’t bring yourself to miss. FOMO occurs where ever you are. In another country, however, it amplifies.
During my study abroad there were people who went out every night with no shame and intense FOMO. In a group of excited Americans anything becomes a party or an adventure. A small mojito bar becomes a happening spot. Missing Tuesday night at the salsa club is a sin. The town fountain becomes the occasional swimming pool. And even if no one across Europe goes out on Sunday night, you can at least grab a nightcap before going to sleep.
Eventually you have to choose: sleep, drink coffee or die. I started drinking coffee to balance out the nights when I gave into my FOMO and hit the town. Setting curfews and drink limits were the next steps for my roommate and I to maintain our sanity. Lastly, we decided to forget about our FOMO. We allowed ourselves a couple nights to stay home to be with our host family and be with each other. Having a partner to weigh the options of whether we needed to force ourselves out of the house, or to leave the party early, or to breathe for the night and enjoy the culture under our own roof, will make decisions for your nightly game plan easier.
Each night there is 100% chance that something exotic is happening where you are. Most of the time you should take advantage of everything! However, when you stop functioning, you have to face the facts that some nights are better spent working on your health. The presence of FOMO will always be there, but considering the options and allowing yourself to take a break will give you more energy when faced with the next adventure.
Tips on defeating FOMO
1. Find a battle buddy. The person to pump you up and help you out.
2. Examine your options. Is it worth going out? What day of the week is it? What is your plan for the next day? Will you be able to do this again? Can/ would you do this at home? Have you slept recently?
3 Suck it up and just drink coffee tomorrow