FOMO and Comparison: Are They the Reason We Can't Rest?

A strange discomfort creeps in when we decide to do absolutely nothing. It's not boredom, it's that familiar hum of FOMO, the fear of missing out whispering in your ear, reminding you that somewhere out there, someone is having a better time than you. Someone's dancing at a beach party, someone's soft-launching a relationship with aesthetic candids in a different time zone. Meanwhile, you're in your pajamas, trying to enjoy your comfort show for the 12th time (as you should!) but lowkey checking stories every 15 minutes to ensure you're not missing something major.
Sadly the reason for this is that we're constantly exposed to everything all at once, from Instagram dumps and travel reels to many events and birthdays. And even if you wanted to unplug, your brain's been trained to expect a notification every few minutes and again you can't help but to look.
The truth is, we've been conditioned to chase the high of 'more.' More plans, more achievements, and more memories we can post about. So when we pause our brain panics, it's not used to the quiet. It starts scanning for things we could be doing, should be doing and worse, it starts measuring our lives against someone else's highlight reel. Rest becomes suspicious, stillness feels wasteful and suddenly, we're losing in some invisible competition we didn't even sign up for and it's all just too much.
But here's what we forget: some of the best moments don't come with updates and they don't have to be productive or photogenic. They don't have to be anything at all. Spending a slow day with your family, taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon, and laughing with your best friend about absolutely nothing are the kind of moments that fill you up without needing an audience.
So the next time FOMO starts creeping in while you're doing 'nothing,' remember: you're not falling behind. You're not missing out. You're just finally tuning out the noise. And maybe just maybe that slow pace is what real living sounds like. Do you agree?

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