FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

The fear of missing out is on an all-time high these days, especially dealing with lupus and during a pandemic. So many events are popping up, and I do not want to miss them.

Since Hurricane Ida hit and I lost everything, rebuilding has been a lot for my family and me. Around this time, I have had events already planned. I have been without my medication for almost 2 months, and I made sure I did not go anywhere because of it. My Benlysta injections and steroids are the most that I feel that I need. The symptoms that I have had since I made this move to Atlanta have prevented me from moving forward in many things that I do.

Avoiding FOMO because of lupus

I recently did not want to miss out because I was in a current flare when I decided to go to Dallas, TX, for my best friend’s housewarming party. I hadn’t seen her in about a year, and I did not want to miss the time I could finally see her. Before my travel to her, I don’t know if it was anxiety, but I was so sick and could not sleep at all. I did not want to decline the invitation because I missed her and felt like I would be missing out on a great experience with her, so I went. I find myself doing that for a lot of friends and family events to make sure I am included in their experiences.

I went for a long weekend, but when I decided to come back, that was an experience that I already knew I would endure. The weather in Atlanta was freezing compared to Dallas. I had to make sure I had comfy clothes to come back and match the weather.

What I do to help myself

I ended up catching a cold and a severe headache to deal with coming back from experiencing a great time. I must make sure that I do not do more than my body can handle. We were drinking and playing games, and my friends would try and push me to see how far I could go, but I would tell them that with my lupus, I had boundaries. So to make sure I do not miss too many events, I take a lot of things to help my body, such as:

• Folic acid
• Potassium
• Immune support
• Steroids
• Plaquenil
• Vitamin D
• Cranberry

Family and friend support

These help keep me afloat and still can hang with the girls. I always learned that experiences would come and go. It is just who you spend it with and how you make the best of it that matters. My friends and family understand my conditions, so they make sure I am somewhat involved in the situations. I used to check myself out of the hospital due to plans I made with friends or family, and that did not help my health because I would go to the event and be worse off and back at the hospital. I believe now those special moments can be made at any time and no one would forget about you if you miss an event, they would actually become concerned for you.