The ‘fear’ of missing out may come from a deep belief that we don’t think we’re enough.
We’re bombarded by social media posts showing us experiences we ‘should’ be achieving, shops telling us to buy items that will make us look and feel better, our community encouraging us to live by their expectations and timelines.
“I encourage you to willingly ‘miss out’ – this takes practice. We need to find our own balance and fill our life with people, things and experiences that really resonate with who we are and what we uniquely want from life,” explains Isabella Venour, Mindset & Marketing Coach.
1. Limits are fulfilling
“A life with limits can be more fulfilling; it allows us to focus on what really matters to the environment and us. Rather than focusing on what we’re not doing, let’s celebrate what we are,” explains Isabella Venour.
2. Live in the present
Psychologist and Psychotherapist Corinne Sweet working in association with ThinkWell-LiveWell, the new mindfulness toolkit for practical people explains why we’re struggling to slow down and relax, “We are finding it hard to slow down and relax due to the increased pace of life at work, home, socially.
Constant social media updates, 24/7 news feeds, shops open all hours. Flexible working and zero-hour contracts mean old boundaries have melted and we are ‘on’ continuously.
To prevent burnout we need to pace ourselves on a human scale. We need to eat well, sleep adequately, wind down, take exercise, moderate addictive pulls (limit alcohol, caffeine), and learn basic mindfulness techniques to live more in the present.”
3. Can help rekindle your relationship
Communication is key for not only a happy relationship but also a sexy one – if you’re spending your time and energy trying to please friends, work colleagues, social media followers, family and everyone else, this could get in the way of your love life.
“Relationship troubles can contribute to loss of sexual desire. If you don’t feel listened to, respected or important it is natural to respond with resentment and this can dampen libido.
It’s important to open the lines of communication with your partner, so that anger can be expressed in places other than the bedroom.
There’s no point in trying to have a meaningful, serious conversation when you are waiting for the plumber to come, or the kids are still up.
Set aside talk time and respect it. Turn off all phones and unplug the TV. Put a little relaxing music on, if you like – something you both enjoy,” explains Dr. Marilyn Glenville, the UK’s leading nutritionist (www.marilynglenviile.com) and author of The Natural Health Bible for Women.
4. More time to cuddle your pet
“There is a great evidence that having a pet boosts overall health by reducing stress, increasing immunity, improving mood, making us more sociable, increasing fitness and staving off heart disease and major mood disorders,” explains Alix Woods.
5. Time to acknowledge your blessings
“Gratitude is the ultimate mood alchemist. We can tap into it by anchoring the mind on what’s going well, trying the ‘count your blessings’ track in ThinkWell-LiveWell (£8 a month, www.thinkwell-livewell.com) or simply by putting aside the ‘to do’ list and acknowledging what ‘got done’ instead,” advises Qualified Psychologist, working with ThinkWell-LiveWell (www.thinkwell-livewell.com), Suzy Reading.
6. Focus on self-care
“Self-care gives us access to a better version of ourselves. Proactively tending to yourself with self-care gives you the best possible chance of being the person you aspire to be, behaving in way contingent with your values, boosting our self-esteem and the health of our relationships,” recommends Suzy Reading.
7. Better sleep
Missing out on Instagram? No FOMO over her just a better night’s sleep – “Blue light can delay melatonin output a key hormone involved with the sleep-wake cycle.
Key offenders are phones, laptops and the TV. I am not the best sleeper and have seen a huge shift in the quality of my sleep since I stopped scrolling on my phone before bed. I now read a novel before bed,” explains Leading London Nutritionist, Lily Soutter (www.lilysoutternutrition.com)