I Made it Through Spring Break Without FOMO

Ah, the fear of missing out. Something I’m all too familiar with. Since middle school, any time I saw a Snapchat story of friends hanging out or an Instagram post of two teenagers posing in front of Cinderella Castle, I got sad. I always want to be a part of the action. 

I’m guilty of letting FOMO dictate my life.

Due to this, I make a conscious effort to never say “no” to plans. I don’t want to be the one person who missed the frat party of the year because I’m exhausted from the week. Even if I crave extra sleep, I must be in attendance of girls brunch on a Sunday morning. This results in me usually double-booking myself and then having to let someone down in the end, but that’s another story.

Naturally, when it comes to huge events like spring break, I’d imagine I would have my hotel booked in the Keys months in advance, or I would be scrounging up the money for a flight to the Bahamas. However, here’s something they don’t tell us out-of-stater gators at Preview.

Living hundreds of miles away from home can take a toll on you. 

I don’t sit around crying when I miss my family or call my mom for hours each day, but when it’s time for a week-long break from classes I want to go back to chilly Long Island, NY. Now the 40-degree weather and gray skies don’t make for as nice of a VSCO page as SoFlo does in March, but I managed to make the best of it.

While going wild for a week sounds tempting, I go to school at a huge university away from home for nine months of the year. Sometimes, I just need to take a time out and chill.

On average, I sleep maybe five hours a night during the semester because I fight to balance my work, GPA and social life. Not everyone has the same responsibilities that I do at this age, so when my friends want to hit Ladies Night on Wednesday, well first I go — FOMO obviously, but then I make sure I set my alarm for 8 a.m. on Thursday to keep up with my tasks.

I needed this break. I know that.

I deserve time to catch up on sleep and binge Netflix documentaries and stumble down a Tik-Tok hole. 

I needed to see my mom. Nothing fills me up more than sitting on the couch with her and watching four hours straight of Friends episodes, venting about boys and sharing my aspirations for the future. I can honestly say I’ve been scrolling through social media all week and I haven’t felt a single ounce of jealousy when I see girls drinking beers in bikinis. 

Now obviously, no shade to anyone who is vacationing. This is college, aka you have four years to make the absolute most of your freedom. I’m sure they’re making crazy fun and exciting memories with their best friends.

I just want to normalize the idea that spring break doesn’t always need to be wild. 

I am grateful for the relaxing week I have, although still far too short. I can guarantee that no one in the sunshine right now gets to enjoy the delicious Long Island bagels I’ve been eating every morning.

I’ll be ready to get back into the swing of things on Monday and return to my busy life. That being said, I am now accepting invitations for next March from anyone living or staying in a house on Miami Beach.