Beyond the time-hogging p-sets, the capitalistic hold of bubblegum pink Buldak Ramen and piles of hair with tyrannous history in the shower drains, there lies an even more rampant villain for university youth: FOMO (fear of missing out). 

My dearest reader, I can only assume you have faced such an evil before. Worry not, for I come before you adorned with a black cape, ready to be a hero and fix this troublesome issue. As my credentials, I reveal to you that I do not experience FOMO.

Tell me, what is FOMO if not optimism and pessimism being misarranged? One thinks of the experience they are not living optimistically, and of the one they are going through pessimistically. The reason I do not get FOMO is because I do the opposite.

Suppose the following scenario: It is 5:45 p.m., and you have just finished eating a spectacular dinner, courtesy of Stern, when you receive a text message from a group chat with your closest university friends. The text reads, “Is anyone down to go roller skating at 6?” Replies start piling on your screen, all your friends accepting the sudden excursion. You stare at your to-do list on your desk, think of your upcoming midterm next week and reluctantly reply, “Sorry guys, I have too much work to do. Have fun!” The words look back at you for a few more seconds, and you ponder whether you truly meant the last two. As you get to work, the thought of rollerskating is ever-present in your mind.

This is an instance where I assume many of my peers would experience FOMO. Ruminating in thoughts like, “This work is so tiresome,” and “I could be having fun there, but instead I’m stuck here.” 

Those patterns of thinking are what need to change. Simply because others enjoyed themselves does not mean you would have. You should consider some of my personal favorite ways to reframe thoughts.

My typical go-to is the “Final Destination” route. What if you had gone roller skating? But what if someone bumped into you causing you to fall backwards? The rollerskates you had been using were rather old, and coupled with the impact of the fall could cause one of the wheels to jump off. It would hit the ceiling, bounce and maybe hit an older man in the face. He could then stumble and spill his drink on the DJ’s equipment, causing a fire to erupt. Personally, I’d rather do my p-set than start a fire at a roller skating rink.

If such a scenario is too far-fetched for you, consider the potential of running into an enemy — perhaps even an ex. Is the wound still fresh? Would you cry if you saw them? While crying is nothing to be ashamed of, I do not wish for people who have done you dirty to feast on your suffering, my dear reader. 

Okay, perhaps you do not have any enemies, nor do you find your fire-starting probability high. Let us generalize and say that you trust your capabilities in having a good time, but can you trust other people? Suppose someone gets dizzy after running so many laps and inevitably vomits on you. What if someone trips and grabs onto your pants, revealing your underwear for all to see? 

Alas, there are just too many possibilities. Now add onto all possible scenarios where you don’t die, the fact that you would still have to do all the work you left. Staying in and being productive seems like the obvious choice.

Regardless of all my extravagant fantasies, sometimes missing out on certain things is necessary to take care of yourself. Every once in a while — though I do it frequently — it’s good to have a self-care day. Everyone has their own way of recharging. Mine involves a disastrous amount of fanfiction and YouTube anime reaction videos. After all, as much as you can fear missing out on spending time with others, it’s even more detrimental to miss out on spending time with yourself.