Race Season and FOMO

It's fall in the southeast and that means it's ... RACE, RELEASE, AND FESTIVAL SEASON! Ocoee race, Animal Race, Gauley Releases, Russell Fork Race, GAF, Green Race, Tallulah Releases, Cheoah Releases! Woo there's so much to do every weekend and it's LITERALLY impossible to do all of it because some of them overlap. As much as I WANT to go to every single event, I cannot fit that into my schedule and neither can MOST people despite what it looks like on social media. I wanted to share some tips and tricks for how to cope with FOMO, the fear of missing out.

What is FOMO and why do we experience it?

FOMO is the fear of missing out. It stems from social anxiety and comparison. Our brain is telling us that "everyone else is having a better time than me" or "people won't want to hang out with me in the future because I said no this time" or "other people are getting closer with each other while they're hanging out and then when I come back next time I'll feel out of the loop". This the part of your brain that I call your "judge". Our brain is naturally wired to pin point the negatives for our physical survival despite these modern feelings not actually being a threat to our physical well-being. Similar to how when we step on glass for the first time we learn to wear shoes outside (or get stronger feet callouses teehee), our judge can be a wakeup call and a signal that something is off.

How do we cope with FOMO and our judge?

The first step is becoming aware of our inner voices. Learn to observe your thoughts instead of believing them immediately. Meditation is a great way to practice this.

Once you gain awareness of the negative thoughts, you can challenge them. Choose to not believe they are true. Come up with other potential outcomes besides the negative ones. Maybe this time away from that place or people will strengthen your relationship!

Once you are able to have an inner dialogue with your thoughts, you can retrain your brain to activate the "sage" which is the parts of your brain that think logically instead of emotionally.

During my 12 week program Worn to Wild, we can work together to identify your judge and upgrade your mind to your sage. I walk you through meditations, quizzes, worksheets, and questions that rewire your thought processes so you are no longer fighting yourself. If you're curious about this or want to learn more sign up for a free connection call or a discovery session and we can talk more in detail!!