The greatest fear is fear itself, Franklin Roosevelt said. In this fast paced digitalized world we are cocooned in this 21st century, I wonder what a person may fear.

Of course we all know what FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) means, right? - it is the familiar rise of anxiety in your chest when you log in to your most cherished form of social media, the compulsion of checking your Facebook account 100+ times a day.

It's when you just had a long week at work and can't wait to watch Game of Thrones in your undies and munch on Lay's as much as you can, but after seeing your friends' Instagram posts about that new hip restaurant or #wanderlust, your weekend plans seem to immediately dull in comparison and force yourself to go out to take selfies at a bar and post it in Facebook right away, #workhardpartyharder. Sounds familiar? After all, how would we all be if our pals or crush or frenemies won't know what we did last weekend?

"That doesn't have an effect on me!" you tell yourself, of course you do! Remember the Mcdonald's commercial? You don't hate it, you just don't like it. And yet, because of several times you have unintentionally heard it, you caught yourself singing along. FOMO works that way.

You fear that people would label you as "boring". So even out of your well-thought-out-budget, you splurge on food, clothes and travels just so you could keep up with the steep game of Instagram.

So how do we end FOMO? Do we need to uninstall all our social media accounts??

NO!!

FOMO is arguably one of the negative effects of the digital age. But, it can serve you well too. Isn't it much easier now to connect with family members who work abroad or you don't live with? I know, it's more fun now to chat with your friends in Facebook group chat. And didn't you realize your passion for photography when you installed Instagram?

See, social media or any mobile app is just a tool. You are the user. It can serve value to your life if you use it well.

GOMO! Go Out More Often!! That's how you end FOMO!!

By GOMO, I mean really living in the moment. Do what you want without seeking other people's approval, without begging for "Likes and double-tap". Fine, take pictures and post them online but never go out just so you could take good pictures to brag online. Go out there! See what this big world has to offer.

"But I don't know where to go or what to do." I used to tell myself. Until I discovered a very helpful website. I am taking advantage of the use of this website which hosts all the events in your locale. Imagine a single website where you can check all the upcoming events: concert, art exhibit, sports and wellness, classes and workshops, networking, etc. Yeah, amazing right!

YES!! I am talking about Eventbrite...

Eventbrite is a global marketplace for live experiences that allows people to find and create events in 190 countries. The platform allows event organizers to plan, promote, and sell tickets to events and publish them across Facebook, Twitter and other social-networking tools directly from the site's interface. It also enables attendees to find and purchase tickets to these experiences.

There, you already have an additional tool to help you discover exciting events and places. So pack your courage and wear your excitement. What is life without a little adventure?!

Xoxo, TNM