By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
Congratulation to Lisa from Texas who was randomly selected as the winner from last week’s Title This Image For A Giveaway! Lisa was sent a $50 e-Gift card from ChristianBook.com
We are plagued with a new stress-virus called FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. The biggest symptom is an addiction to our cell phones. Our devices take precedence over everything in our lives—mental, physical, professional, and spiritual. They have become an appendage, and we can be sick without them.
We wake up each morning and check our phones for what happened on all our social media platforms while we slept. We can’t breathe or eat without our phones. We cut our showers short. A walk to the mailbox can’t happen unless our hands are wrapped around our phones. A catastrophe occurs if we leave home without our device. If we wake in the middle of the night, we look to make sure we’re aware of the latest, no matter how trivial, and we must be INCLUDED.
FOMO plagues us with the thought of someone having more fun, saw a better movie, bought the best-looking outfit, had a fabulous meal out, bought a more expensive house, sported new shoes, drove a fantastic car, earned a pay raise, and the list goes on and on. No wonder FOMO drives people to professional counseling.
Death by FOMO means basing our confidence on what our friends and colleagues are doing WITHOUT US. Oh my! He/she has more likes, comments, or downloads than me! Yes. FOMO is a horrible virus. Some medical authorities refer to this condition as a social-anxiety disorder.
- Do any of us remember life before mobile phones?
- What did we do with our time?
- Our hands?
- Did we even use our thumbs?
If we find ourselves caught in the stress of FOMO, what steps can we take to heal?
- Choose joy in what we have instead of what we don’t have. A friend suggested embracing JOMO—Joy of Missing Out.
- Understand our self-worth is not how many followers, links, likes, social events, etc. Our self-worth is based on who we are in Christ. He’s the only link we need.
- Focus on gratitude. We may choose a specific time during the day to concentrate on our blessings. This could be a mental or journaling activity. We want to tell others we appreciate them.
- Consult with a trusted friend, family member, or professional counselor to help you separate from FOMO.
- Study this article for additional insight: The Stress of Social Comparisons.
- Pray for wisdom, healing, and restoration.
Our cell phones linked to social media platforms are a technological advantage for all of us to stay informed, educated, and in communication with family, friends, and colleagues. But our devices shouldn’t rule our lives.
Do you have advice for those suffering from FOMO?
Comments 8
You are right, this is a virus. It’s more important to enjoy the journey rather than looking at what everyone else is doing. Look to Jesus and we won’t miss out on anything! Thank you for this insightful post, DiAnn.
Thank you, Barbara! Jesus is the answer, and He will make sure we don’t miss out on what truly matters.
I seldom ever touch my phone. I do this on purpose. I have never allowed myself to access social media or the internet from my phone for this very reason…too easy to carry social media/email etc everywhere if I used my phone. I choose to only access these things via my laptop meaning I have to be intentionally sitting down at my coffee table to spend time online. I can not wander around and be connected. I can not be connect when out of the house as my laptop stays home. I do this to be intentional. When I am in FB messenger to chat with a friend I am sitting in one spot ready to chat BUT the only down side is everyone else is running around their house or communication (only) when there is a break in what ever else they are doing. I refuse to have a conversation like that from my side.
Teresa, you understand and practice “intentional.” Thanks for sharing how you work diligently not to be addicted to your phone.
DiAnn, I’m one of the old-fashioned fellows who uses his phone to send and receive calls (and occasionally texts), but you’ve perfectly characterized most people who live and die by the cell phone. How to change our habits? We can certainly follow your advice, but I like that given by Bob Newhart in one of his sketches, when he advises someone who has a similar addiction: QUIT IT.
LOL! Richard, I think if we enlisted a campaign to encourage others to leave their devices alone, we’d have to use social media to get their attention!
I first heard of this concept in my Noom (diet plan) teachings as it relates to food. It is a very real thing. People need to be in the moment more and find happiness there. Or we can read one of your books, which is also a good alternative.
Oh, Barb, you are so kind. I’ve heard of the Noom diet plan. Lots of good stuff behind it.