In the early 2000s, I got into the habit of regularly watching TV.
Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong per se with that, but at some point, I started feeling anxious that I would miss out on some new episode or some upcoming movie.
In those days, I had not heard the term FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) but it was exactly that. One day, I got so fed up with myself that I totally stopped watching TV.
Ironically, I was now missing out on everything – so the FOMO should have peaked; instead, it was totally gone. I haven’t watched TV in the last 15 years and have no intention of going back. Of course, it is not as virtuous as it sounds since YouTube and other options have popped up since then.
However, I did discover that FOMO exists only when you are in the groove. If you take a clean break, it melts away.
If you are not convinced, try this: This Sunday, switch off all your devices for 12 hrs or more. In a few hours, for most of us, the FOMO of WhatsApp or Instagram will be completely gone.
If we stop feeding our FOMO, it dies out. This is how you slay this demon — by starving it.
– Rajan