How to Stop Doomscrolling: A 14-Day Reset Plan
Why doomscrolling is so hard to stop, and a 14-day plan to break the habit: notifications, app friction, a phone-free bedroom and a healthier news diet.
FOMO and Social Media: How to Stop Feeling Left Out
What FOMO is, why social media makes the fear of missing out worse, how it affects mood and sleep, and practical ways to feel less left out online.
Key takeaways
- FOMO, the fear of missing out, is the worry that others are having better experiences without you.
- Social media feeds amplify it by showing a highlight reel of other people’s lives, all the time.
- Curating your feed, limiting checking and planning your own plans make the biggest difference.
On this page
FOMO, the fear of missing out, is that uneasy feeling that other people are having more fun, success or connection than you, and that you’re being left behind. It’s an old feeling with a new amplifier: social media shows you a constant stream of other people’s best moments, from holidays to parties to promotions. Easing FOMO means changing what you see, how often you look and what you do with your own time.
What FOMO feels like
- A pang when you see friends together without you
- Checking feeds repeatedly so you don’t miss anything
- Saying yes to plans you don’t want, just in case
- Feeling your life is dull compared with others’
- Difficulty enjoying the moment because something better might be happening elsewhere
Why social media makes it worse
- The highlight reel. People post their best moments, not their ordinary Tuesdays. Comparing your behind-the-scenes with their highlights is never fair.
- It never stops. Feeds refresh endlessly, so there’s always something new you could be missing.
- It’s personal. Seeing your own friends, not strangers, makes exclusion feel sharper.
- Notifications pull you back. Every alert is a reminder that something is happening without you; see taming notifications.
Psychologists have long described our tendency to judge ourselves by comparison with others. Researchers studying FOMO have linked it with more frequent social media checking, and some studies suggest people who feel their own needs for connection and competence aren’t being met are more prone to it. As with much social media research, the links run both ways and don’t prove cause.
How FOMO affects you
- Mood: comparison can leave you feeling flat, anxious or inadequate.
- Sleep: late-night checking “in case” eats into rest; see screen time and sleep.
- Focus: a split mind makes it hard to enjoy or finish what you’re doing.
- Decisions: agreeing to too many plans leaves you tired and stretched.
Practical ways to ease FOMO
Change what you see
- Mute or unfollow accounts that leave you feeling worse, including friends; muting is invisible.
- Follow things that add value: hobbies, learning, creators who make you laugh.
- Turn off stories and live alerts that create urgency.
- Hide like counts where apps allow it.
Change how often you look
- Set checking windows, such as after lunch and after dinner, rather than all day.
- Remove social apps from your home screen, or log out after use so each visit is a choice.
- Use screen time limits for the apps that trigger FOMO most; see Screen Time on iPhone and Digital Wellbeing on Android.
- Try a break. A week off social media shows you what you actually miss, which is usually very little; our 30-day social media detox has a plan.
Change what you do
- Make your own plans. Invite someone out, rather than waiting to be invited.
- Say no on purpose. Choosing rest over an event you’re lukewarm about is a decision, not a loss.
- Be present. When you’re doing something, put the phone away and notice the details.
- Share less, enjoy more. Try doing something without posting it.
A two-week FOMO experiment
- Week one: note each time you feel FOMO and what triggered it, such as an app, an account or a time of day.
- Week two: mute the three accounts or apps that triggered it most, and check social apps only in two set windows a day.
- At the end: compare your mood, your sleep and how much you actually missed.
Many people find that a handful of accounts and the late-evening scroll cause most of the trouble, and both are easy to change.
From FOMO to JOMO
JOMO, the joy of missing out, flips the idea: choosing to skip things and enjoying the calm. It might be a quiet night in, a phone-free weekend or simply not knowing what everyone else is up to. Our digital sabbath guide and digital minimalism for beginners are good places to start.
Reframe the comparisons
| FOMO thought | A fairer thought |
|---|---|
| “Everyone else is out having fun.” | “I’m seeing a few people’s best moments, not everyone’s whole evening.” |
| “I should have been invited.” | “It might not have been about me. I can make my own plans.” |
| “My life is boring compared with theirs.” | “Their feed is edited. My ordinary days are normal.” |
| “I need to check in case I miss something.” | “If it matters, someone will tell me.” |
When it’s more than FOMO
If feelings of being left out are constant, or come with low mood, anxiety or loneliness that doesn’t lift, talk to someone you trust or your GP or doctor. The NHS Every Mind Matters site has practical tools for low mood and anxiety. For teenagers, see our guide to teens and social media warning signs.
Frequently asked questions
What does FOMO stand for?
Fear of missing out: the worry that others are having rewarding experiences that you’re not part of.
Does social media cause FOMO?
It doesn’t create the feeling, but it amplifies it by showing a constant, curated stream of other people’s highlights.
How do I stop FOMO?
Curate your feed, limit how often you check, make plans of your own and practise enjoying moments without posting or checking.
Sources
Every article is edited by a human and checked against our editorial policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Keep reading
Social Media Detox: A 30-Day Plan
A realistic 30-day social media detox: what to prepare, a week-by-week plan, how to handle cravings and FOMO, and how to rebuild a healthier routine after.
The Phone-Free Bedroom: How to Make It Work
Why a phone-free bedroom helps sleep and focus, what to use instead for alarms and emergencies, and a simple one-week plan to make the change stick.