14 February

How to Deal with FOMO

This topic is one that’s been on my mind for a while, and as of late, on my mind more so than usual. If you’re involved in the fashion industry yourself, you may already be aware that last Thursday marked the start of NYFW, a.k.a. my favorite time of year. After being fortunate enough to attend the last two seasons, I feel as if I’ve become a bit of an addict. Sure, its a lot of work, a lot of stress, and at times not as glamorous as it may seem (though that’s all a topic for another day), there’s something about the energy that I can’t get enough of. Call me a fashion week junkie.

Back in early January, I was faced with the question of whether or not I would be attending this time around. With a wedding at the end of this year and a couple of other fun trips leading up to it, I knew deep down that I was going to have to RSVP “No.” It was literally painful – my sweet intern had to sit next to me and actually make me click the button! As soon as I sent in my regrets, I was immediately filled with regret. The FOMO (meaning “Fear Of Missing Out) began – and hit hard.

It wasn’t until last Thursday when I saw everyone’s stories from the first day of fashion week that I really felt it. All the feelings of being in NYC and the rush of the first day came flooding back. I was in a serious funk – the rest of my day was spent being grumpy, jealous, unmotivated , and flooded with other unpleasant emotions that are embarrassing to admit to. During an afternoon coffee break, on my my sweet friends, Molly, reminded me how important it is in moments like that to celebrate my successes. She was totally right! I may not have been at fashion week, but I did have other moments to be excited about.

From that afternoon on, I started thinking about ways to overcome FOMO, and see my situation in a different light. If you’ve ever struggled with feeling like you’re missing out on something, keep reading below for my three tips on how to overcome the feeling of being left out.

Unplug

In a day and age where it’s so common for everyone to flaunt their best moments in your face on social media, it’s important to remember that what you’re looking at is just that: their best moments. People rarely post the moments they aren’t proud of. Keeping this in mind as I watched story after story of the girls who were at fashion week helped me remember that those fifteen second clips were the best parts of their day, but that there was so much behind the scenes that I know isn’t glamorous. Even knowing this, it does help significantly to just put down your phone, close your computer and unplug – even if for an hour or so. There’s no need to “live vicariously” through others’ most fabulous moments. That leads me to point #2…

Refocus

I can’t count on one hand the number of amazing moments I would have missed out on during the last few days if I had continued to spend all my energy being fearful of what I was missing in NYC. I wouldn’t have noticed the first birds of spring chirping around me, the warm breeze that actually came through this weekend, or enjoyed my first few sips of coffee on a lazy Saturday morning. When I unplugged and began to live in the moment instead of thinking about what I would be doing in NY, point #3 set in automatically…

Be Grateful

Once I noticed all the things I was experiencing because I had stayed home, it made me instantly grateful for what I did have. I always try to believe there is a positive in every situation – so instead of thinking about what you’re missing out on, think about what you are getting instead, and be thankful that you are able to have those experiences. Once you can learn to shift your perspective, FOMO doesn’t seem quite as real.

Photos by Ryan Sides

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