FOFMO

I have a pretty serious case of FOFMO.

What’s that? You’ve never heard of it?

No, it’s not a typo.

You’re thinking of its highly publicized cousin, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out.) FOMO is an emotional state in which a person feels like they are either being left out of a fun thing or are unable (due to outside circumstances) to take part in that fun thing. FOMO causes anxiety during a specific period of time in which you think others are having a good time without you.

But I am suffering from Fear Of Future Missing Out. I have had it for years, and I’m wondering how many others have this disease?

You see, FOFMO is not confined to a specific event or time period. It is a consistent feeling of uncertainty and distress at the possibility that something great might come along in the future and you will miss out on that thing because you have already made other plans.

Allow me to explain:

Let’s say next week my Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings are open. A friend, who I enjoy and want to spend time with, suggests we hang out next week, and asks when would be good for me. I then have to decide which night I am going to offer, thereby taking that night off the table for any other plans. What if I choose Monday, and then the next day another friend, who I also enjoy and want to spend time with, invites me to a thing that is happening on Monday night and only Monday night?! I will miss out on something that hasn’t even happened yet because I arbitrarily chose the wrong date for a flexible thing!

Even just typing that paragraph made me anxious. Like, tight throat and fast heartbeat anxious.

And that constant anxiety makes it incredibly difficult to make schedule decisions. If I make a doctor’s appointment 3 weeks from now, will I be offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on that exact same date?! And then what will I do?!?

So. Does anyone else feel this way? If so, how do you deal with it? And if you don’t feel this way, why not?