It’s 8:00p.m., you scroll through your Twitter feed, nothing is interesting so you put your phone down. You check your phone again, still nothing. You look at the clock and realize you’ve been scrolling through Twitter for over an hour and decide it’s time to put your phone away. The second you put your phone away it buzzes.There it is, a Tweet from one of your friends that says she is at Panera. And who is tagged at Panera?  All of your friends, everyone but you.

You wonder why you weren’t invited and keep updating your feed, waiting to see what else your friends are doing without you. You are feeling increasingly anxious. Jealousy and loneliness stem; What you’re likely experiencing is called F.O.M.O.

F.O.M.O. stands for the fear of missing out. This a form of social anxiety where one feels that he or she will be missing out on an opportunity for social interaction, whether it be by choice or not.  

“F.O.M.O. happens when we invalidate the experience we’re having because we’re obsessed with the ones we’re not having,” says psychologist Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., author of Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness.

This fear has been around for years. At its root, the phenomenon is a healthy response to variety and choice. ABC News says that with the rise of social media and today’s nearly infinite options, it has morphed into something more severe.

Social media is the spark to F.O.M.O.’s fire. Prior to sites like Facebook, a yearly holiday card from an old friend might have made you jealous or angsty. You could have  enjoyed a ski-trip like your friend. Or when say, your grandfather had a bad or lonely day, he might wonder if his friends were doing any better for themselves. That thought quickly reached a dead end because he did not have a computer or smart-phone. But now that you can see your connections’ lives in real time, you are theoretically always missing something:a party, a trip, a new career opportunity.

“I have run into F.O.M.O. many times here at Algonquin. I most often see it when a student is grounded by their parents or has their phone or computer taken away. It can be debilitating for sure,” said guidance counselor Conor Brosnan.

As technology enables us to stay more connected than ever, the addiction continues to grow. A survey conducted by website MyLife.com , made for reuniting people and social interractions, revealed that out of 2,000 U.S. adults, 56% of those surveyed are afraid of missing out on events, news and important status updates if they are away from social networks.

“If I’m without my phone or preoccupied, I don’t realize [what everyone else is doing]. I most often use my phone when I’m bored or doing homework. In that case I feel as if I need my phone or computer to keep myself busy,” said sophomore Kendall Sweeney.

“When I see that my friends are doing things without me, I feel left out and start to wonder why they couldn’t have invited me,” said senior Corey Aldrich.

52 percent of respondents from the same survey also said they have considered taking a “vacation” from one or more social networks in the past year,  but only 24 percent said they will likely follow through and take a break.

“I personally like social media to keep in touch with friends and to be inspired creatively by other’s ideas. I wouldn’t choose to take a break from it,” said Sweeney.

The condition was most common in those who had unsatisfied psychological needs such as wanting to be loved and respected. It can feel like an uncontrollable yearning to be two or more places at once, fueled by the fear that missing out on something could put a dent in your happiness, status, or even a job.

“There is no real cure, but when and if a student finds him or herself suffering from F.O.M.O., I encourage them to take a deep breath, put on some relaxing music and think of all the future fun events they will have with their friends,” said Brosnan.

The reality is that, most of what you think you’re missing really can wait. There are much more pressing matters. Have no fear, here are some helpful tips to get over F.O.M.O.:

1. Step away from your computer or smartphone. Social media fuels F.O.M.O., so allow yourself to let go for a brief period of time.

2. Accept you can be in only one place at a time. If you’re going to do one thing, then acknowledge this will mean missing out on other things.

3. Cut down on the amount of time you spend looking at what your friends are doing, too much choice is not necessarily a good thing.

4. Recognize that the first option to come up may not be the best for you, so don’t always say yes.