Stuck At Home While Everyone's Traveling? Here's How To Overcome Vacation FOMO

It’s that time of the year again- when your feed is flooded with images of people vacationing in the most desirable of places while you constantly feel like you’re stuck in a loop of despair. With the overburdened influx of perfectionism coming your way, it’s easy to let your mind get flooded with unhelpful and self-critical thoughts about yourself. 

Here, we discuss how you can learn to relish your life in the moment rather than through someone else’s lens.

Social media

The magnetic relationship between anxiety due to missing out and uncontrolled use of social media is one of the major causes people feel the constant need to present a perfect public image of their lives. As Sara Qureshi, a 19-years old college student shares, “Watching other people’s vacation stories, their posts, or even blogs make us feel like we have joyless lives and need to be able to travel to XYZ destinations in order to enjoy and feel fulfilled. People are able to exaggerate their experiences, give dishonest reviews and overall have it in their power to completely manipulate a narrative which may as well not exist.” If someone is unable to spot this unhelpful thinking, negative social comparisons are bound to flood their minds and distract them from being able to indulge in the present moment. Choosing who to follow on social sites with caution, aiming to minimise or altogether eliminate your scrolling time and thinking about the aspects of social media usage that plague you to indulge in unhealthy patterns can help reduce the fallout.

Buttering blues

Rather than indulging in a constant pattern of self-consuming critical thoughts, remember that vacation is not always the only solution to breaking a weary pattern. “Instead of comparing, I focus on what brings me joy where I am—be it spending time with family, pursuing personal hobbies, or working toward long-term goals. I also remind myself that taking a break doesn’t always require travel. Rest can look like reading a book, exploring my own city, or simply doing nothing,” shares Krish Ganguly, a 20-years old college student. The urge to engage in something new should come from a place of building human connections and love by adopting different hobbies and activities such as volunteering at a nursing home, joining a community group and doing any activity that allows you to utilise your time for other’s well-being and makes you feel like you’re a part of something larger and bigger than yourself.

Health and mindfulness

When stressed about how to destress, it can be quite helpful to explore your thoughts to understand the place your FOMO is even arising out of. Remember, your persistent thoughts fuel your feelings, not your experiences. While locations can’t create happiness, thoughts can and controlling them becomes the key to a healthy attitude. Rather than constantly thinking about the vacation you never went on, openly acknowledge your travel FOMO and move past it to understand how you can positively utilise all that additional time on your hands. Learn to appreciate your life for the moment you are currently living in by listing one thing you like about your current situation. Think of this as a break away from constantly scurrying around to tick all the boxes on a list. Focus on treating your body and brain by getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising regularly, keeping alcohol within reason, listening to music, reading and relaxing on your own. Instead of adopting a ‘grass is greener on the other side’ mentality, practice meditation, notice when you get distracted and learn to enjoy what’s in front of you.

Gratitude

Hedonic adaptation is a concept that talks about how human beings are naturally attuned to quickly adapt to positive aspects of life which suggests how strengthening your gratitude mental muscle can work wonders in getting you out of a tough loop. Try to write down one thing you appreciate about your current life daily, no matter how big or small it may be. As Sara reveals, “Remembering to be grateful for having had the opportunities to travel in the past, having lots of things to do when not travelling, and using that opportunity to make up for the bygone days and catching up with loved ones is how I like to deal with vacation FOMO.” Just like training in a gym, every rep of expressing gratitude helps increase your mental strength over time.

Prioritise self

Rather than chasing a dream or an ideal list that others have set out for you, it’s quite helpful to take a moment to reflect on where your personal goals take you in order to indulge in things that are most meaningful or interesting to you. Note your top stressors in countering this issue and pre-prepare an elevator pitch of sorts to have an action plan well in advance. Figure out what valued living truly means to you and march into the holiday season with a clear picture of what you want to get out of it.

Be it the feeling of missing out on travel opportunities that others are able to avail or fears about skipping specific locations or activities while on vacation, battling FOMO is something that can be achieved with a little bit of calm and a whole lot of confidence.

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