Newswise — CLEVELAND -- "I do feel like the 'Fear of Missing Out' can be particularly difficult around the holidays," says Carolyn Ievers-Landis, PhD, a pediatric psychologist at University Hospitals (UH) Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. "I think that extends to what kids are getting for Christmas, if your friend gets the latest shoes or they have the latest electronics and you don't."
Fear of Missing Out or FoMO is a form of social anxiety where people are compulsively concerned about missing a party, event, interaction, or experience. Dr. Ievers-Landis says this anxiety is fueled by connectivity through social media where everyone seemingly knows what everyone else is doing. "People who might have (compared themselves) in the regular world without social media can now do it more and more so it can have more of a cumulative effect to harm their mood."
Dr. Ievers-Landis says depression is a real and serious consequence of FoMO with 'tween and teens being most vulnerable to the dangers of Downward Social Comparison: always thinking people are doing more interesting things than you. "If people are constantly comparing themselves to other people and constantly hooked-in to see what they're doing compared to other people, it can really affect your mood."
5 Tips to Avoid FoMO1) Enjoy the Moment (Mindfulness)2) Limit Social Media3) Be Grateful4) Keep Busy 5) Embrace Occasional Solitude (Joy of Missing Out or JoMO)
Sound bites from Carolyn Ievers-Landis, PhD, pediatric psychologist at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and related b-roll are also available for download on http://news.uhhospitals.org/.
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