Ever since elementary school, we’ve hated feeling left out—and in college it seems so much worse. Had to miss sorority formal because of a bad cold? Can’t make it to a girls’ night out because you have a midterm to study for? College is all about balancing priorities, and sometimes we have to stay home. FOMO, fear of missing out, is never fun, but are there reasons you’re not considering for why you feel lonely or left out? Read on for other reasons you might have FOMO as well as our tips and tricks for avoiding it!
1. You’re secretly insecure about your friendships
If you have a severe case of FOMO every time your two best friends hang out without you, it may be because you’re insecure about your friendships. While of course having to hear about all of their inside jokes can be annoying, if you don’t trust that your friends will keep you in the loop even when you’re not around, perhaps those friendships aren’t as strong as you thought. Have faith in your friendships!
2. You procrastinate too much
If you constantly have to turn down friends’ invitations to hang out (and always feel bad about it), think long and hard about why you had to decline the invite instead of ruminating on how sad you are to miss the event. We’re guessing your study habits are partially to do with it. If you’re missing events because of midterms and essays, here’s some tough love: the only way to avoid this kind of FOMO is to do your homework and work far in advance—so you’ll never have to miss out when you don’t want to!
3. You didn’t bother treating your illness
College kids are notorious for turning a blind eye on illness. Suddenly, your mild cold turns into a two-week-long ordeal and you have to miss that girls’ night out you had been planning with your BFFs. Do something about your cold sooner rather than later. We love Cold-EEZE® Cold Remedy Plus Natural Multi-Symptom Relief Cold & Flu QuickMelts®. These over-the-counter melts will shorten your cold as well as provide natural relief from your cold and flu symptoms. Stash these in your purse so you can take one the second you feel a cold coming on—don’t wait until you’re drowning in tissues and coughing too much to go to class!
4. You’re too reliant on your relationships
Do you feel like you’re missing out every time you’re alone? Do you sit in bed on Friday nights wondering what all the cool kids are doing (and why you aren’t with them)? Girl, take a step back. Being alone can be awesome. You can watch Netflix, forgo pants and not have to share your Friday night pizza. Recognize that you don’t need other people to have a good time. If you think you might rely too much on others to provide entertainment, try to reconnect with yourself. Take yourself on a date! We’re serious. Those girls at the frat party probably just wish they were home relaxing, anyway.
5. You spend too much time on social media
Scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed is probably one of the biggest time-sucks in college. There’s nothing wrong with checking in with the world and what your friends are up to, but if seeing your friend post an album of her weekend trip with her friends makes you feel like you’re majorly missing out, there’s a problem. Time for a social media intervention. People post things on Facebook and Instagram to show off—everyone wants to make it seem like they’re having the time of their lives. Newsflash: They’re probably not significantly happier than you are, even if you spend more days in the library than on the beach.
Everyone feels left out now and then. Most instances of FOMO are preventable though. Think ahead, relax and recognize that you don’t need to constantly be going out with friends to be happy!
