How to Handle Summer FOMO in the Age of Social Media
Three ways to let go of comparison and define summer on your own terms.
Social media can make summer feel like a measuring stick. It’s easy to wonder if you’re doing enough, traveling enough, or living enough. When your feed is full of beach trips, wedding weekends, and golden-hour selfies, you might think your summer doesn’t stack up. But you don’t need endless highlight reels, views and likes to have a summer that’s meaningful and matters to you. Let’s explore ways that you can check in with yourself instead of being defined by social media’s barometers of summer.
Don’t Believe The Social Media Highlight Reel
We objectively know that social media isn’t real life. But in the middle of July, when everyone’s posting their vacations, rooftop dinners, and scenic selfies, it can be hard to remember that. You scroll through your feed and wonder: Is my summer good enough?”
The pressure to live your “best summer” can creep in quietly. You might feel like you should be out more, doing more, smiling more. Even rest and relaxation can feel performative and just another means for a photo opp.
Social media thrives on highlights. You’re seeing curated snapshots, not the full reality. For every photo of someone laughing on the beach, there’s likely exhaustion, loneliness, or even a fight that happened moments before. People carefully select what to show to the world.
Your summer doesn’t need to be curated or documented to matter. Real life – theirs and yours – is not a singular, well-edited snapshot.
Remember What You Really Value
Fear of missing out (FOMO) can show up as a question in the back of your mind: Is my life enough? Am I falling behind?
These questions are often driven by constant comparison, not from an actual internal assessment between you and yourself. If you were offline for a week, would you still feel behind?
The invitation here is to reconnect with your own definition of joy, connection, and fulfillment. What actually brings you peace or excitement vs. what photographs or trends well.
Start by noticing moments that already feel good, including (and especially) the small or simple ones that make up our days. Keep track of them. When we look inside, our bodies and our emotions will provide wisdom and messaging beyond our minds.
If you’re feeling like you’re missing something or wanting more as you check in with your Self, listen with curiosity to the parts that are calling out to you and what they’re really seeking. Is it a connection with a friend or partner? Is it to spend a little more slowing down and resting? When we’re able to really stay present with ourselves, we can discover what it is we’re most wanting and needing at a given time.
–Your summer doesn’t need to be curated or documented to matter. Real life – theirs and yours – is not a singular, well-edited snapshot. –
Reclaim Your Summer From Comparison
For all of the dopamine hits that keep us on apps, they’re often stimuli for anxiety or depression too. Before you open an app, pause and check in with yourself. Are you wanting to connect, or to compare? Are you seeking inspiration, or validation? If it’s about comparison or validation, use that as a sign of something within you calling out for attention. Pause and investigate it.
Maybe you can tune into a sadness or frustration that comes along with seeing what other people are doing. It’s normal to feel that way and you’re not alone in that experience. See if you can extend some compassion to the part of you that is feeling that way. Listen to what it most needs and nurture it.
Summer doesn’t need to be a highlight reel to be meaningful. Maybe your joy looks like a quiet park bench with a good book, or laughter with a friend over iced coffee. Maybe it looks like staying home and catching up on rest.
Try choosing moments that feel nourishing over ones that look impressive. Keep an “authentic joy” list this summer: write down the things that made you feel good or grateful, even if you didn’t post them. Over time, it becomes easier to recognize what actually fills you up versus what only looks good online.
Exercises to Ground Yourself
If summer FOMO has you in a spiral, experiment with these ideas:
- Limit social media use, especially on days you’re feeling “off”. Set a daily time limit for apps
- Practice gratitude for small joys: iced coffee, sunlight, a good conversation
- Remind yourself that people post moments, not the full picture or reality
- Ask: What do I want more of this summer? Not what should I do, but how do I value spending my time? What feels authentically good and meaningful?
This season, you have permission to slow down and tune into what you most want and need for you (as understandably hard as that might feel).
You are not behind. You are not doing it wrong. You’re living your summer—and that’s more than enough.
Isabel Golan, LMSW (she/her)
Isabel Golan is a licensed therapist passionate about helping individuals navigate life’s challenges and uncover the deeper patterns that shape their experiences. She specializes in supporting clients through trauma, life transitions, relationship issues, depression, and anxiety. With a collaborative and compassionate approach, she creates a space where clients feel empowered to explore their emotions and embrace growth.
