You know the feeling; you’re scrolling through your feed when WHAM, your friend shares a post of #HotDog legs on a sunny beach, meanwhile the rain is hitting your window and you’re debating whether or not you need to wear your thermals in May.  ?

That feeling is referred to as FOMO: (the) Fear Of Missing Out.

Most of us don’t share photographs when we’re just out of bed, when we’ve got a tummy bug or after we’ve binge-watched a new series for 8 hours. Instead we share posts when we’re on holiday, when we’ve got a new outfit or are out for a nice dinner with friends.

This means our feeds are full of our friends and family having fun – which is great! No-one likes a ‘Debbie-downer’ or ‘negative-Neil’ online. However, if we’re feeling down, lonely or a bit skint, then this can make us feel like we’re missing out, making us feel worse.

FOMO is a difficult emotion because it can be influenced by so many things. A lot of the time, the reason WHY we feel FOMO is because we’re feeling disconnected from our friends in real life. With so many social platforms, we can easily fall into the trap of checking our friend’s profile rather than getting in touch with them.

Feeling FOMO? This is what you can do

? Spend time with friends, family and loved ones in REAL LIFE and keep your phones in your pockets. ?

? Set a timer on how long you’re going to spend scrolling through your feeds. Once the buzzer goes off, close the apps and do something you enjoy without a screen! ⏳

? Remind yourself that on social media, you are only seeing the iceberg’s tip of your friends’ lives. ?

? Lead by example when posting online and think before you post. ?

?  Social media is great for connecting with friends and family when you’re not with them but it’s not as fun as spending time with them in person.