The new normal has changed many things for us. Instagram Stories that were once full of restaurants, weddings, bars and birthdays are now filled with live-streaming workout challenges, swapping recipes, or teaching yourself a new language. From celebrities to your next-door neighbour, it seems like everyone is brimming with productivity and yet seeing these posts makes you feel left out and unproductive.

An acronym for “fear of missing out”, FOMO is defined by academics in the scientific journal, Computers in Human Behavior as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.” For many people, this manifests as discomfort, anxiety and sadness triggered by looking at others’ lives through their specially curated and glorified social media posts.

Seeing everyone take part in all kinds of activities like the Dalgona coffee or the Don’t Rush challenge, they may make you feel the pressure to be your best productive self. You’re worried you’re falling behind and not being part of what everyone is doing. How is it possible to feel such FOMO when physical distancing is enforced? And how do you overcome it? Hopefully the following tips help you with these questions.

According to studies cited by the Journal of Business & Economics Research social media amplifies FOMO whether you like it or not. For many, if you scroll through your timeline long enough, you’ll find that social media has a way of making you feel envious of others’ lives or unsatisfied with your own. It is also important to remember that a lot of what people do on social media is exaggerated to make their lives seem a lot better, and frankly more fun, than they really are. Therefore, it is important to realise that these lives you’re viewing online are not completely authentic but rather, are curated. It’s very simple to post the highs and omit the lows so keep that in mind as you see their perfectly curated feeds. Try limiting your time on social media websites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by setting yourself a time limit when you scroll through your social media feeds.

If limiting time on social media daily doesn’t seem like enough, try a digital detox from social media. Some people choose to take a few days or weeks off from social media to reorganise their thoughts and spend more time with their friends and family as well as focusing on the present. Given the current global situation, there is no time like now to focus on your real-life connections. Adhering to safe distancing, having a simple video call with a few good buddies or loved ones will be a much better time spent than the hours upon hours spent scrolling through your feed.