Sometimes decision making can be a massive pain in the arse due to the fear of missing out (affectionately called FOMO). There are also many other aspects of FOMO that can make life suck more than it needs to: overcomitting, not committing, not following through on commitments, burnout, resentment toward others, anxiety, and depression. But not to fear! I’m not going to just tell you how much FOMO can suck but instead provide some remedies so you can live a life full of what’s important to you.

Make Cuts

Get rid of anyone or anything you regularly feel crappy around. But do it mindfully. Simply avoiding all uncomfortable situations or people all the time because, well, they’re uncomfortable will only create more of those in the long run.

Clarify What’s Important

To you. Not to anyone else. People pleasing can be a real culprit in egging that FOMO on. If you’re clear on who and what your priorities are, that can help in saying yes or no to an invitation. Make a list of your priorities and keep it somewhere with immediate access in case you don’t know whether or not to say yes or no. Also, utilize your intuition/higher power and ask, “Does this serve my highest self?” If you do both of those things FOMO will be less and less of an issue.

Slow Your Roll

Sometimes we simply move too fast to make actual decisions. Rather we’re just reacting to situation after situation after situation, never really living in our lives. Slowing down will allow you to respond in ways that are more fitting to how you truly want to experience life. It also allows us to spend more time in the moment fully present, which leads to greater fulfillment overall.

Practice Gratitude

The grass isn’t always greener. We all know this but it’s easy to forget. Gratitude enables you to focus on what you do have rather than what you think you don’t have. Things aren’t always as they seem. Just because people look like they’re having the best time ever doesn’t mean they actually are.

Make a Decision - Any Decision - and Stick to It

Worst case scenario you learn something from it. If you are clear on your priorities no matter what decision you make, it will lead you toward your goal. Either you will move one step closer or you will gain more knowledge of what to do next to move one step closer. You can’t lose.