JO•MO (noun): Joy Of Missing Out. Have you ever heard of this term before? It’s the opposite of, or in some cases, the antidote for FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
Research has shown that FOMO plays a key role in social media engagement. Watching other people live their lives so you don’t feel out of the loop can actually make you feel MORE left out or like your life is less exciting. The two feed into each other in a never-ending cycle. This can lead to low levels of satisfaction and unhappiness if left unchecked. What we see on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and other apps is not the whole picture. It is an illusion of someone's life, carefully curated to share only what that person wants you to see. Recognizing this concept is half the battle. After all, comparison is the thief of joy.
So how do we overcome this feeling while still connecting online with others and enjoying all the good things about social media? Enter JOMO - the feeling of contentment with staying in and disconnecting as a form of self-care. Let's read that again:
JOMO is an approach that emphasizes joy, gratitude, and mindfulness. It’s a chance to focus on your life, your intentions, and your goals. Instead of checking your feed however many times a day or first thing in the morning and last thing at night change the behavior (or as some call it, addiction). Limit your time on social media so you can spend more of it doing the things you love. Pivot your mindset from passive activity to productivity. Focus your attention inward and find internal gratification in yourself. Don't look outward or search for external sources to validate your thoughts and actions. Experience life the way YOU want to live it, not the way someone else is living it.
Interestingly, there is evidence to suggest that the more photos we take of our experiences, the less we remember them. This is known as the Photo-Taking-Impairment Effect. Capturing our own memories can actually impair our mind's ability to store them for ourselves. Essentially we rely on our camera's "prosthetic memory" to substitute our "organic memory."
I love scrolling through posts and watching stories but realized recently it was making me feel so much wanderlust. With the delta variant on the rise, I have been less inclined to travel but every time I opened Instagram, I was transported to beautiful places of the world, seeing travel adventures I wanted to experience too. I decided I needed to step back and appreciate where I was and my own surroundings, knowing that I will travel again soon. I took time this past week to put my phone and camera away in order to appreciate being in the here and now. So many exciting changes are ahead with my upcoming move to Virginia and I don’t want to miss a single moment! Although I promise I will keep sharing content, I will be doing it mindfully with a focus on the Joy of Missing Out. Won't you join me?
Post a Comment