The National Alliance on Mental Health estimates that over 40-million adults in the U.S. are dealing with anxiety disorders. That’s nearly 20% of the population and that’s not even counting the folks who feel anxious but haven’t been officially diagnosed with it. And anxiety can cause people to take on more than they can handle, and women are especially prone to overextending themselves.
“In general, FOMO (fear of missing out) is the result of anxiety,” psychologist Dr. Bill Hudenko says. “I like to encourage clients to live life fully and to experience the world—but I think it's important to do it for the right reason.” He explains that if you’re living life fully to experience as much joy as you can, you’ll probably be happy, but if you’re trying to live life fully just because you’re afraid of missing out on something, it’ll probably increase your anxiety and make you feel like you’re not experiencing as much as you can.
Fortunately, experts say there’s a simple fix to ease anxiety: say “no” more often. Instead of saying “yes” to everything that comes your way and doing too much, being realistic about your limits and saying “no” when you need to can boost your mental health. Having boundaries and knowing when to turn down an invitation or an opportunity is the key and while saying “no” isn’t easy, the more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll get with it and the less anxious you’ll feel.
Source: Best Life
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