Beneath its trendy “FOMO” acronym, “Fear Of Missing Out” might mask destructive beliefs that ripple over to your emotional wellbeing. New research from the University of Nottingham discovered FOMO in the digital workspace can increase anxiety and stress, posing a risk to mental health. The revealing study found employees afraid of missing crucial information—who were simultaneously bombarded with it from digital sources—were more susceptible to overwhelm and burnout.
“FOMO has both unconscious and subconscious features,” says Clarissa Silva, behavioral scientist and founder of C Silva Solutions, LLC. And what triggers FOMO is unique for each of us. Unlike when you scroll social media in your free time, potentially experiencing pangs of missing out, FOMO might manifest as missed opportunities for career advancement, networking and more. According to the study, the constant flow of news, messages, meetings and emails only magnifies the pressure.
The upside is those who practiced mindfulness were less vulnerable to stress, overload and burnout, according to the research linked in the study.
The key is to mindfully harness FOMO to increase your self-awareness before it becomes destructive, according to Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and author of Joy from Fear and The Joy of Imperfect Love.
Here are eight ways to reclaim your attention and increase your productivity while tending to your emotional well-being:
1. Uncover Early Signs Of Stress
Start by noticing mental and emotional indicators of overwhelm, advises Manly, who explains that possible signs might be “tense shoulders, shallow breathing or a lack of ability to focus…. clenching your jaw or upwellings of anxiety.”
Manly advises taking a short break and unplugging while you “engage in a restful or rejuvenating activity, such as taking a short walk, stretching, mindful breathing activities or chatting with a coworker.” If you experience resistance, fearing that “taking a timeout will reduce your chances to succeed at work, give yourself a gentle reminder that you are far more likely to excel when your mind is able to refocus with sharp, fresh energy,” she says.
2. Keep Your Inner Critic In Check
That little voice inside your head might be on high alert during the workday in hopes of helping you seize every opportunity. Keep in mind that fear works against success by fueling anxiety, says Manly.
“Although the inner critic means well… incessant chatter leaves you feeling constantly on edge and overwhelmed,” she says.
Manly recommends dialoguing with your inner critic by saying things like, “Please take a rest now; your input isn’t helpful. I can’t do everything all at once and right now I’m focusing on the most important task.” This creates a reset and allows you to channel your energy in a more productive direction, she says.
The process might take time to master since your inner critic can be stubborn, cautions Manly.
“As you become more in control of your mindset and your energy, you’ll be able to counteract any fear-based ‘I must do everything’ impulses with greater ease and empathy,” she says.
3. Resist The Envy Trap
Consider the average person spends more than two hours a day on social media.
“Competitive energy can help propel you to achieve your highest potential,” says Manly, “However, feelings of competitiveness make you feel negative about yourself or others.”
Social media often promotes the impulse to engage in comparative thoughts, so she advises becoming aware of your usage and its effects. They can help reframe your perspective and shed limiting beliefs. In a nonjudgmental way, notice how you feel after using certain platforms: If you “feel inspired and elevated after viewing reels on specific Instagram accounts, that’s a sign that you’ve found a positive fit,” says Manly, noting that if you’re “feeling negative and deflated, it’s wise to steer clear.”
Doing this regularly helps shed light on platforms that are positive influences versus detrimental. Any tendencies you have to lean into negative comparisons or envy will dissipate as you choose to focus on those that boost your emotional well-being, Manly says.
4. Reduce Digital Dependence With Brain Training
According to Silva, whose focus is brain health, “Implementing a routine that helps you limit the amount of screentime you are exposed to can help with neuron regeneration.” Silva says not checking your device immediately upon waking and taking a phone-free hour before bedtime gives your brain a chance to repair from the effects of daily overstimulation. She also suggests another way to curb digital dependance: When you go into a meeting, silence your phone and any apps that may distract you.
Silva recommends working out your brain by developing tactile intelligence with brain games—like math, word, and physical puzzles. Anything requiring dexterity, even writing by hand, also helps promote more regions of the brain being utilized.
She suggests taking a 15- to 30-minute break after working for a few hours so you can engage in these kinds of mental gymnastics. “Doing this helps ideas flow, improves editing, helps sharpen your ability to rationalize and reduces stress,” says Silva.
5. Get A Handle On Rabbit Holes
Compartmentalizing your tasks helps with neuron regeneration, improves performance and incentivizes your brain, says Silva, who suggests working on long-term goals backwards because it creates a feeling of accomplishment. She calls these moments in which we create a reward system of serotonin infusions throughout the day “brain gains.”
Silva advises creating two handwritten lists side-by-side.
“Column 1: Actual tasks to achieve accomplishment,” says Silva. “Column 2: I call this one ‘Rabbit Holes.’ Jot down the amount of time you spend going down that rabbit hole and what you gain as a result of it.” Along with helping achieve your goals and focus, this exercise offers additional perspective on where you might be going off track.
6. Decision-Making And Empathy
“The pattern of information-seeking establishes and informs your decision-making. If it’s unbalanced, then you’ll go through a cycle of suboptimal decision-making,” says Silva. FOMO affects self-esteem, past trauma, childhood trauma, intergenerational trauma, jealousy and frustration. These types of factors and more can inform a single decision, she says.
Silva believes developing more empathy is a powerful tool for improving brain health and reducing FOMO. Some ways to strengthen empathy include practicing mindfulness and being in the moment as well as active-empathetic listening, a technique merging active-listening with empathy.
To listen with deep understanding in mind, shut off all devices and give the other person your undivided attention—making an effort to hear what is being said through a compassionate lens.
7. Work Smarter And Slower
In his new book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, bestselling author Cal Newport offers an approach to producing more quality work without suffering overwhelm. While Newport focuses on knowledge workers, the majority of his ideas can benefit anyone.
“The relentless overload that’s wearing us down is generated by a belief that ‘good’ work requires increasing busyness—faster responses to email and chats, more meetings, more tasks, more hours,” writes Newport. As an alternative, he advocates doing one thing at a time, giving it your full attention and taking on fewer responsibilities when possible.
“The advantage of doing fewer things, however, is about more than just increasing the raw number of hours dedicated to useful activity; the quality of these hours also increases,” he writes.
Silva says your brain only has the capacity to process one thing at a time. Even though we think we’re doing multiple actions, we’re actually fragmenting our attention—five seconds here, ten seconds there and so on, she says.
8. Replace Busyness With A Natural Rhythm
“It seems like the benefits of technology have created the ability to stack more into our day and onto our schedules than we have the capacity to handle while maintaining a level of quality, which makes the things worth doing,” writes Newport. One of the ways he proposes slowing down is to work at a natural pace.
Find a balance where you are calm enough to think clearly and generate ideas and accomplish work that feels meaningful. Newport suggests preventing potential overload by being cautious about agreeing to take on small tasks.
Implementing A New Schedule
“In many cases, it’s not the actual execution of a small commitment that generates distraction. It’s, instead, the cognitive effort required to remember it, to worry about it and to eventually find time for it in your schedule,” writes Newport. And when it comes to less important but necessary work, he writes that you should “put tasks on autopilot.” By scheduling certain ordinary things on the same day and at the same time consistently, they become habitual, taking up less time and energy.
Implementing Newport’s strategies helps free up more mental bandwidth to focus on important work. “Instead of a false sense of business where productivity cannot be measured, you work in a much deeper, more thorough way, because you are not bombarded with constant distractions fragmenting your focus,” he writes.
As you work towards creating new habits, send some self-compassion your way. Remember, your patterns and behaviors have taken years to develop and will likely take time to reestablish. The fear of missing out is natural at times, especially in the digital workspace. Eventually, as you expand your awareness and adopt healthier ways of working and living, you’ll be better able to decide where and how to spend your valuable energy, time and attention.
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