FOMO (short for Fear of Missing Out) is that restless little itch that creeps up and tells you everybody else is out there doing something better, more exciting, or more meaningful than you are. It’s that gnawing feeling that life is happening somewhere else…and you somehow missed the invite.

Now, the idea of FOMO isn’t new, but let’s be honest; it’s grown like kudzu since the rise of social media. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok have turned into highlight reels, showing off everybody’s best moments–vacations, new houses, big promotions–all polished up and filtered just right. Suddenly, your own life can feel a whole lot smaller in comparison.

What if you could let go of your focus on everyone else’s life and start focusing on living your own? What would that be like?

What Is FOMO and Why Is It So Powerful?

FOMO isn’t rooted in survival instincts like the fear of loud noises, heights, or predators. Instead, it comes from social and emotional wiring, specifically, our deep human need to belong, be accepted, and feel significant within a group.

Historically, being excluded from the tribe could literally be life-threatening. Today, that survival mechanism still lingers, but it’s more about social survival than physical.

When we see others doing something exciting without us, whether it’s friends at a party, colleagues succeeding, or strangers traveling the world, it triggers a feeling of social exclusion. Our brains interpret that as a threat, releasing stress hormones like cortisol, and we react with anxiety, envy, or compulsive behavior (like refreshing social media one hundred times until something pops up to make us feel better).

How FOMO Is Different from Traditional Fear

• FOMO is not tied to your physical safety. FOMO doesn’t warn us about danger; it warns us about disconnection.
• FOMO is driven by comparison. It feeds off observing others, especially via social media.
• FOMO is subtle, but it can be chronic. FOMO can be a low-grade, ongoing buzz rather than a sharp burst of panic.

How FOMO Is the Same as Traditional Fear

• FOMO activates the same stress response as traditional fears. The brain still reacts with anxiety, cortisol, and sometimes even a fight-or-flight impulse. Though we don’t run from tigers, we might panic-buy concert tickets or compulsively scroll Instagram. This is commonly referred to as social media anxiety.
• FOMO is rooted in your perception. Just like other fears, FOMO is often based on what might happen rather than what is happening.
• FOMO is tied to vulnerability. At its core, FOMO reveals a fear of not being enough, not being liked, or not being remembered.

While FOMO doesn’t make us jump at thunderclaps, it taps into a more modern, emotional fear: that we’re being left behind. For some of us, that might be scarier than all of the other fears put together.

5 Ways Social Media Amplifies FOMO

Social media doesn’t just stir up FOMO…it pours gas on the fire.

1. The Highlight Reel Hustle

There aren’t many people posting about sitting in traffic or doing their taxes. What you see are the best moments: vacations to paradise, fancy dinners, career wins, smiling faces all around. It’s like everyone’s living in a highlight reel, and when you compare that to your regular Tuesday afternoon, well…it can feel like you’re coming up short.

2. Happening Right Now

Platforms like Instagram Stories and TikTok aren’t just showing what happened; they’re showing what’s happening this very second. And when you’re watching your friends out having a good time while you’re sitting at home with a bowl of cereal, it can hit you right in the gut.

3. Likes, Hearts, and Validation

Social media turns attention into numbers: likes, comments, views. And when you see someone else’s post blow up while yours barely makes a ripple, it starts to feel like a popularity contest you didn’t even know you entered. This is often referred to as social comparison.

4. The Algorithm Knows What Stings

These platforms are smart. They show you exactly what’ll keep you scrolling: what’s trendy, what’s popular, what everyone else seems to be doing. When you’re not a part of it, it’s easy to feel like you’re missing the boat.

5. Fear of Being Forgotten

Social media moves fast. If you’re not jumping in, speaking up, and showing out right now, it can feel like your moment might pass you by. FOMO isn’t just fear of missing fun; it’s fear of being left behind altogether.

In today’s world, social media can make even the steadiest heart feel a little left out. It taps into that old human fear of not belonging and plays it on repeat up to hundreds of times an hour.

The Mental Health Impact of FOMO and Social Media

FOMO might start off as a little twinge, just an uneasy feeling you get scrolling through someone’s beach pictures while you’re sitting in a dentist’s office. But over time, that twinge can grow into something heavier. And when it piles up day after day, it can take a real toll on your mental health.

When you’re constantly seeing what you could’ve done or should’ve been invited to, your brain starts racing. “Why wasn’t I there?” “Do they not like me anymore?” “Am I falling behind?” That kind of thinking can stir up anxiety real quick, and before long, you’re not just missing out on events, you’re missing out on peace of mind.

The more time you spend scrolling, the lonelier you can feel. You start believing that everybody else has it together, and you’re the only one stuck in place. That’s a dangerous lie, but it’s one social media whispers to millions of people every day. When you start buying into it, it can drag you into a dark place.

If you’re always comparing yourself to someone else’s filtered life, you start feeling like you’re never enough. Not successful enough, not pretty enough, not fun enough. It’s a losing game, and it’s rigged.

Social media isn’t all bad, but when it feeds FOMO, it can quietly mess with your head. It sneaks up on you. It doesn’t feel like a breakdown. It just feels like life is getting a little heavier, one scroll at a time.

5 Helpful Strategies to Overcome FOMO and Use Social Media Mindfully

FOMO might be loud, but it isn’t invincible. You can take back the reins; you just have to be a little more intentional with how you use these tools. Social media doesn’t have to control you. You can flip the script and use it on your terms.

1. Check Your Heart Before You Check Your Phone

Before you open that app, ask yourself: Why am I logging on right now? Are you looking to connect with someone, or just trying to fill a quiet moment? Being honest with yourself about your motives can keep you from falling into a scroll hole you didn’t mean to enter. Awareness is the foundation of digital wellness.

2. Create Before You Consume

If you’re gonna be on social media, make it about sharing your life, not comparing it to somebody else’s. Post something real. Tell a story. Uplift somebody. That simple shift from passive to active can do wonders for your mindset.

3. Limit the Noise

You don’t have to follow every friend, influencer, or distant cousin who makes you feel two steps behind. It’s okay to mute, unfollow, or take a break. Your peace of mind is worth more than staying “in the loop.”

4. Practice Gratitude Out Loud

Instead of focusing on what you might be missing, turn your attention to what you’ve already got. Each day, name three things you’re grateful for. Say ’em out loud, write ’em down, or share ’em with someone close. It’ll anchor your spirit right where it belongs (in the present).

5. Schedule Screen-Free Time

It’s okay to limit screen time and put the phone down, y’all. Make time every day to unplug and know fully where your boots are planted. Whether it’s taking a walk, cooking dinner, or talking face-to-face with someone you love, real life is still the good stuff.

FOMO may whisper that you’re not doing enough or being enough. But the truth? You’re not behind. You’re just perfectly human. You just need to stop chasing someone else’s life and start living your own.

Stop Comparing; Start Doing

At the end of the day, FOMO’s just fear wearing a different hat. It might not look like a lion in the tall grass, but it’ll still pounce on your peace if you let it. That constant itch to check, to compare, to keep up…it’s exhausting. But here’s the good news: fear can be transformed.

That’s exactly what Turn Your Fear into Fuel is all about. In it, I share real stories, honest truths, and practical steps for turning that anxious energy into forward momentum. And let’s be honest, sometimes the most grounding thing you can do is put down your phone and pick up a book.

Reading brings you back to yourself. It slows the spin of comparison and helps you focus on what you want from life, not what the algorithm tells you to want. It’s quiet, personal, and powerful.

So if FOMO’s been knocking on your door, maybe it’s time to answer with something stronger. Something that reminds you you’re already enough, right where you are.

Turn Your Fear into Fuel is available now.

Trade the scroll for a story that might just change yours.

I’ll see you at the top!