Own Your Summer: How to Shut Down to Scarcity Mindsets and FOMO
Category: Misc.
Scarcity and FOMO have no place in your summer!
Topic Of Discussion
For a lot of people, summer equals freedom – or at least more freedom than usual! Even if your work schedule doesn’t let up, longer days lead to more daylight and time to give to what YOU want. And for a lot of us, that might just mean chill time – time to scroll our phones without guilt!
But what happens when a night spent scrolling reminds you of the things you could be doing more than it helps you relax? When a deep dive into your buddy’s vacation on instagram or Google searching the restaurant where your Facebook friends went without you gets you down, use these reminders to fight FOMO and give scarcity no place in YOUR summer freetime!
Scones before phones!
Or cereal before phones! Or pancakes! Basically, just avoid starting your day scrolling on your phone. By sipping coffee in your backyard, hitting a yoga class, or journaling in bed first, you’ll have a peaceful and self-focused start to your slower summer days to remind you of what makes them so great…no matter what you notice on social media later in the day.
Balance on screen time with offscreen time
Love it or hate it, social media is a pretty normal part of most people’s modern lives. So don’t feel bad about wanting to plug in – just balance it out! For every hour you spend on screen, try to spend an hour doing something fun offscreen. Whether baking cookies, watering your plants, or reading a book, quality offscreen time will help you feel more grounded during onscreen time.
Remember: Not all FOMO is your fault!
It’s true – FOMO is literally primal. If we never worried about what we might be missing out on, we might not tell ourselves when we’re hungry or need sleep! The key here is being able to identify whether your FOMO is actually important to your survival (plot twist: it’s usually not!)
So, if seeing a pal’s post about their dinner out has you feeling funky, reminding yourself that you’re safe and have YOUR needs met might actually be all your animal brain needs to be happy chillin’ at home! Maybe you even need the time to rest! And in that vein…
Your choices rock!
Make choices for your summer freetime confidently. After all…it’s YOUR summer. Just because a Bahamas vacation looks cool doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best choice for you. We all experience different seasons of life with differing needs. Feeling confident in your needs is the best way to enjoy the abundance in your life NOW!
Say yes to saying YES (at least more often than no!)
And with all this considered, it’s worth remembering…sometimes, we create our own FOMO! (Looking at you, homebodies!) If you’re known for trading nights out for Netflix…that’s okay! But if FOMO kicks in, keep in mind – you’re in control! Especially if you’re in a chapter of life when you’re looking to expand your social circle, saying yes to invites more often than no will almost definitely lead to you feeling left out less! Fight the pull of your couch and get yourself out there!
Wrapping it up
Of course, sometimes scarcity mindsets and FOMO aren’t just rooted in our needs, choices, or the summer blues. If you think you might be experiencing anxiety or depression this summer, experienced therapists like the ones here at Tri-Star Counseling are here to be your kind and funny guides to taking back summer!
