Have you ever wondered how nice it would be to spend a night in on a weekend? Have you ever purposely avoided plans to have alone time with yourself? Have you ever put your phone on airplane mode to not be bothered? If so, this is the article for you!
What you’re experiencing is JOMO a.k.a. joy of missing out. Don’t worry; it’s not as lame as it sounds.
I started experiencing JOMO in the beginning of the school year, my senior year. I was extremely caught off guard by the nonchalant attitude I was exhibiting. I was saying things like, “no, I don’t really want to do anything tonight, but have fun!” more than I ever have (which was never).
For senior Rebecca Lerman, the JOMO is all too real, too. She shamelessly admits that she is purposely not going to an event that all of her roommates are attending because she is looking forward to an empty apartment for a night. Another student, Samantha Graffeo, says she loves when she doesn’t go out and people don’t have a good time, and she’s just lying in bed with “Milano’s and a glass of wine, chilling.”
Don’t get me wrong — I have my fun nights out, and I still hang out with friends, but it seems like times have changed, along with my outlook. I mean, I actually texted my mom two weeks ago on a Friday night and told her I think I turned into a grandma.
But despite these recent grandma-like-tendencies, I admit, JOMO is seriously refreshing. I don’t constantly think that I have to be at this place or that anymore. I don’t stress about plans, or constantly feel the need to look at snapchat stories to see what everyone is doing. I really just do my own thing, and it’s lovely.
We all like to be alone occasionally, and it is good for us. I like how I can spend some quality time with myself —whether it be listening to music, reading or just thinking – and then feel holistically better afterwards. For Lerman, the concept is this: “being an introvert is someone who recharges from being alone, while an extrovert is someone who recharges from being with other people.” We both agreed that oftentimes introvertedness is what drives JOMO.
Try not to have any misconceptions, either. JOMO doesn’t have to insinuate hibernating in your bed for twelve hours. It could mean writing an essay instead of getting a bite with your friends, or going to the gym while everyone else decides to go out. It could even mean having a movie date with yourself. Regardless, I think we could all benefit from JOMO to a certain degree —at least once in a while.
