Discussion Do you have FOMO? If so, how do you deal with it?

[HitsanoEllangmainta]

Every article on the internet tells you that FOMO has to do with your unhealthy usage of the internet. But in my case I'm not affected by all these successful people on the internet, I'm kinda indifferent to it, moreover, nothing is changing when I don't use socials, most of other people still have better lives than mine, it's just like running from the truth. But as soon as SOMEONE I KNOW tells me about their good time spent I feel very upset and jealous because I become aware that all that time, while I was just at home doing practically nothing or some boring stuff, they were having fun. Then I really begin to realise that people are actually living their lives unlike me.
So it looks like if I want to feel okay the only way for me is to be alone or with another loser like me which is hard to find, so it's not an likely option.

 

[hungry_ghost]

I know that I have missed out on so many experiences having been a sheltered adolescent, and then a reclusive adult.

I've spent so long living vicariously through others, or living within my own phantasies, that it leaves me with feelings of sadness and regret.

 

[shy]

I know that I have missed out on so many experiences having been a sheltered adolescent, and then a reclusive adult.

I've spent so long living vicariously through others, or living within my own phantasies, that it leaves me with feelings of sadness and regret.

I felt the same for a long time, now I'm not so sure if I would even enjoy the experiences I've missed out on.

What really sucks is that certain experiences are meant to be had at a specific point in one's life, so there's no catching up on those.

 

[Brainslushy]

Imagine going somewhere with someone that has already been there and knows all there is to know. You feel as if you can't explore, that you're being guided down a path that has already been charted. You've become an attraction for the person who just wants to see your reactions to the things they want to show you.

That kind of feeling still gets to me. Could be a destination like I mentioned, or a life experience or even something as simple as a movie. I've gotten a bit better at handling it but honestly it's embarrassing that I get hung up on this at all.

 

[FMyLife]

I have insane FOMO actually and it has nothing to do with the internet. I started feeling it as early as my early teens, feeling like I had missed out on a normal childhood. And right now I feel like I missed out on most of my teenage years and am on the track of missing out on my young adulthood.

It makes relating to other people harder and sometimes makes it feel like I have to wear a kind of a mask around others pretending I am like them, when really, it couldn't be further from the truth. I only understand the experiences in some hypothetical way. And as time progresses, that experience gap gets deeper and deeper.

It's the feeling of not being able to chime in on conversations. The feeling of being some kind of alien in a world of humans. The feeling of deep, deep sadness seeing people younger than you living life to the fullest, knowing full well you never got to experience any of that.

And the best predictor for the future is the past, so I don't really see anything changing for the better. For all I know, I'll turn 25 having missed out on my entire young adulthood, seeing people around me start families and having kids, having missed out on my entire youth with no good memories to look back on but still expected to be a responsible adult.

And there's no going back. I'm just fully aware 24/7 that my life is being wasted. If I have to use an analogy for it, I'd use a playground as an example. Playgrounds are for kids, if you saw an adult playing on a playground alone you'd probably be pretty weirded out. And that's how life, especially youth, is. There is a limited time frame for when you can have certain experiences and if you miss the boat for them, there are no second chances.

 

[cogmachine]

people feel happy for achieving those milestones because everyone else tells them they should feel satisfied because of getting them, not because it'll make them feel (personally) fulfilled. i just wish i was normal from the start, as this distain for most people became ingrained now. there are fleeting times where i wish i had more people to hang out with (in person), but then i remember it wouldn't be realistic and i'd hate it, so i get over it.

 

[didn't-it-rain]

100% - everything from regret over missed opportunities to seeing the life i could be living - and it being a major source of my depression (and, subsuquently, desire to die) does feel extremely shallow. i try not to be so hard on myself though as i would not call anyone else experiencing these feelings shallow, but alas