JOMO is the new FOMO

It was a thing for a while, right, always shouting that you had ‘FOMO’ : the Fear Of Missing Out. Yes, I did it too. Afraid of missing out on stuff. Afraid of not being online for a moment. Afraid of not ‘belonging’ for a bit. So I did everything. I was everywhere out of fear that people could have a blast without me. Grow up darling, people have fun without you too. And that's totally okay. You can have fun without them as well.

We are the headache generation. Not necessarily that we want to be, it just happens to us. We have less sex because of our phones. Seriously, countless studies have been done on this. Our generation looks at a small square screen next to each other before going to sleep. We enjoy less of the here and now. And of each other. We become insecure because we have ‘few’ likes. We are chased by the constant need to be reachable. We share almost every hour what we are doing and continuously look at what other people are doing. And sometimes it makes us really sick. Burnout-sick.

If you think: girl, I feel you, I am also SICK of always being online, then this is what you will remember from now on. JOMO is what we want this summer. No Fear Of Missing Out, but the Joy Of Missing Out. No, you miss nothing if you don't have your phone with you for half an hour while doing groceries. No, you are not behind if you haven't posted an Instagram photo in a week. The funny thing is that we don't even realize that we are constantly distracted by all the technology around us. But try it, that supermarket without your phone. That train ride. You might even strike up a conversation.

The digital detox is what we need more than ever. How do you do that best? The New York Times gives tips.

Know that you are probably addicted.

The smartphone is also called a slot machine in your pocket. Tech companies have spent years making mobile products intentionally addictive. Know that it works this way. Awareness is the first step.

Follow a digital diet.

Comparable to a normal diet. Don't think you have to burn your phone immediately. JOMO is all about moderation. Keep track of how much and which platforms you visit (just like you track how much you eat in a day). Once you know how much time you spend, you can start practicing reducing and moderating.

Let friends know what they can expect from you.

Make sure people get used to the idea that you don't respond to messages, emails, and Facebook messages within a minute. It's quite annoying, right, that friend who responds slowly? Be more like that friend. It can be very relaxing.

Also tackle that Netflix addiction right away.

Is it bad to binge? No. But the same applies here: be aware of it. The moments we spend binging (and endlessly scrolling through Insta) are much longer than you think. And let's be honest: this is never really the highlight of your day.

In short, a little less FOMO and a touch more JOMO. Are you in?