FOMOther: The Disease of Missing Out

Recently, the Knoxville Moms Blog celebrated its third birthday and after a year of being a contributor for this fun and wonderful group, I wanted to attend the event…on a yacht I might add…in the worst way. The problem was that my husband coaches my son’s basketball team, and their practice ran right in the middle of the time of the event. Another problem was that I dragged my feet on getting a babysitter. As the event got closer, I wanted to throw a 36-year-old temper tantrum because I was already grieving a good time and it hadn’t even happened yet.

Could it be that I was preparing for a case of FOMO?

I had never heard of the acronym FOMO, until one day when my friend was talking about how she says “yes” to a lot of activities because she has a major case of FOMO. After she explained that FOMO means “Fear of Missing Out,” I diagnosed myself with it as well.

It’s a sickness. It’s a disease. It affects all moms to one extent or another.

Causes of FOMO:

Hectic schedules

Unexpected illnesses

Difficult family members

Difficult children

Emergencies

Spouses

Work

Career

Volunteer activities

Social media

Media

Geography

LIFE

So, how does one treat a FOMO illness? With one dose of this, offered by Elsa, the Ice Queen:

Let It Go.

Yes, but what will they think of me?

Let It Go.

Yes, but what if I miss my child doing something amazingly wonderful?

Let It Go.

Yes, but what if my husband needs me there?

Let It Go.

Yes, but what if my friend has a better time than me, with photos to prove it?

Let It Go.

Yes, but what if I miss out on important conversations and opportunities as a result?

Let It Go.

Yes, but what if this event never happens again?

Bottom Line: You cannot be all things to all people all the time, but you have to be the right things to the right people at the right time.

I was able to secure a babysitter and hop aboard the yacht that night for the blog’s birthday bash. It was fun, and I might have danced to Bruno Mars as I walked down the staircase. I chatted with old friends and made new ones and celebrated the blog’s success.  

If I hadn’t gotten a sitter or a child had fallen ill or my husband was free to be at home with the kids but had a really bad day at work, I might have had to miss the event. I would have had to “let it go.” You see, there would have been other events to attend. I would have missed those moments, but life is full of more moments. In the grand scheme of things it would not have been the end of the world. I just wouldn’t have hopped onto Facebook that night…LOL.    

Do you have a case of FOMO? How do you deal with it?