When FOMO is a consumerist myth

Yesterday I received a promotional message for Valentine's Day from a personalized gifting company. It suggested something along the lines of taking my love story forward — making it more dynamic and magic-filled by buying some of their esteemed products.

What! Don't they know there are two more days left in January?
I am not ready for it to be over yet.

After the reflexive panic-stricken response over missed self-created goals, I felt my blood become lukewarm. I discussed it with my partner, and we had a similar reaction. This year, we will figure out how to keep our love story ours and out of commercial traps.

Later in the day, I had a familiar feeling visit me, which flirted with my Anxiety during New Year's eve. During which, in reality, I was having a quiet, rest-filled, and relaxing long weekend.

I am the only one not doing anything on a special occasion.
My life couldn't get sadder.

Even though I'm off social media for good, the pressure to be "normal" lives in my head, rent-free. But sometimes, I wonder if I am indeed hiding from everything or “the reality” is not exactly what it seems to be.

For example, there was no shortage of articles on this platform during the holiday season. No dips in views and reads either. And we can't be in two places at once. Not yet, anyway.

Maybe we post only when we are having insta-certifiable fun and not when we are doing what we actually want, like writing at midnight on the bed. We are always made to feel "less" by design, encouraging us to spend more (and more) money and time.

And perhaps, and most importantly, we don't want to admit to ourselves how much our feelings of happiness or sadness are not organically ours. We wish to ignore the influence and reality-warping powers of the messaging we receive — what is socially considered to be happening/worthy.

Let's ask the important question, "Who is actually having fun?"

I am not. Most of you aren't either. This year is already challenging, and I can't think of a single conceivable reason to "celebrate" a hallmark holiday.

Maybe what we are all doing collectively is dealing with Anxiety from the infinite ads and messages in our inboxes. And perhaps the best way to deal with it is admitting — putting this statement out there, that I am not happy, I am not delusional, and I am not celebrating.

And learn something about life from cats.

@Debdutta Pal 2022
Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels
Previously published on Medium.