Catching a Vibe is the Best Way to Combat FOMO and Seasonal Depression

Whether it's during the glorious Summer months or the dead of a Winter night.

The phrase catching a vibe has spiked in popularity recently and I’ve found that when using it offline with friends, they don’t exactly know what I mean.

After sifting through a few drug-related definitions on Urban Dictionary, the closest description I’ve found to how I personally use the term is the following:

To feel utterly alive and thriving in a particular moment

And an honourable mention:

To understand; or get with it

I caught the vibe, it’s time to go.

Winter depression is pretty self-explanatory, I feel it’s a little more useful right now to tackle the Summer phenomenon instead (although these findings apply to any time of the year).

Anthony Bourdain, A Cook’s Tour, 2001

To be honest, I don’t know how it is for others, but I get the most overwhelming FOMO humanly possible. Every single time it’s beautiful outside, I feel the extreme urge to be doing something, to be somewhere. On the occasions I’m not, I feel envy and sadness. During the Summer months there’s so much pressure to seize every single day and to have as much fun as possible, which isn’t always possible.

A very current example of my fear of missing out being triggered has to do with the endless music events taking place in my city. I don’t really have plans to go to any of them because I have been too busy to have the foresight to make arrangements for them, I can’t think of anyone who would want to go with me, I’m actually not even that fond of large scale outdoor music festivals- the excuses can go on and on… All this being said, I still feel like I should be there because everyone is there. Missing things like this makes me feel old and boring and like I have not spent enough time creating a more exciting social life. It makes me wonder where I went wrong in my adolescence to not be more involved in the scene in my 20s… It’s all so silly because I have a wonderful life full of people I love wholeheartedly, consider myself to be on the best path and I pretty much do and have anything and everything I want at all times. The toxicity of social media can still make me feel like none of it is enough but I’ll save that topic for another time.

If you can relate to any capacity, I encourage you to step back and remind yourself that no one is keeping tabs on what you’re doing.

When no one is watching, you can be as comfortable and free as you want, and almost no one is ever watching. Even on social media, just like your own habits, no one is spending more than a second or two viewing a post. Don’t fear perception because it’s barely happening.

To me it’s unacceptable to feel so low for such a petty reason. Through trying to fight it I’ve found that the best way to deal with this is to simply do something and be somewhere, no matter what and no matter where.

From @rymbeydoun on Instagram

Catching a vibe is a mindset above all. Apart from the satirical connotations, the phrase does a good job at encapsulating the importance of being present and making the most of what you already have. The most beautiful memories I have are the ones with only myself, having the conscious thought of knowing I’m alone, feeling great, and being tremendously satisfied with the moment. These are the moments where I take time to smell the air and notice it’s sweet, realize how far I’ve come, see the individual rays of the sun, think about my loved ones and feel grateful for it all.

Going on an evening walk is cool, getting a snack and sitting somewhere with a nice view elevates the experience. Setting the intention to catch a late night movie makes the day go by smoother- seeing movies alone in general is such a fun thing to do. Visit a flea market or go thrifting because nothing beats finding special unique pieces to add to your wardrobe or home.

I love waking up early and doing something right away, either working out or getting a coffee and enjoying it outside. If I sense the bad feeling coming in hot throughout the day, I’ll make it a point to either see some friends for ice cream/drinks/beach or go grocery shopping and cook a perfect dinner for myself with a cute outfit on.

It takes effort to see beauty in the regular and mundane, but it it is worth it. There isn’t much else to life if you strip out the rat race and social constructs. In each of the things you do, there exists a secondary layer of feelings and senses to pay attention to because they facilitate getting in touch with being human- probably the only true high of being alive.

How to begin?

Start by paying close attention to the sensory details. As cliché as it sounds, take your time to breathe fresh air, feel the grass, see the colours around you, hear the birds, and taste your own lips. Listen to your favourite artist and allow your tears to fall when you think about how much you love them for being so great. Hug yourself and feel proud of everything you are.

Catching a vibe entails seeing the world and the moment with rose coloured glasses. If you remember that life imitates art, everything is picturesque, cinematographic, luxurious and profound.

Björk at her home in Iceland (2008)

Not everyone enjoys spending time alone and for that, having friends that you can call and link up with within 10 minutes is a crucial aspect of life. Think of it as the grown up version of ringing the doorbell at your neighbour’s house and asking if your friend can come out to play. Why did this ever have to stop? We shouldn’t have let it stop!

It is difficult to establish this when everyone has their own lives and are busy but I think if the desire for more closeness and spontaneity is brought up with your circle, the feelings will be mutual and a collective effort can be initiated. If not, it’s time to start making more friends and widening your community.

There is beauty in everything, anything can be romanticized, anything can be a vibe and hammering that into your brain will help with recognizing vibes and enable catching them. Take the time to watch and register the emotions that run through your friends’ faces, listen to the patterns of their laughter and lock it away in your heart forever.

Yung Lean ft. FKA twigs - Bliss (Official Video)

Although I’m definitely not a person who actively focuses on the present (I’m working on it), I am a natural at enjoying life and being immersed. I hope I was able to get some kind of point across with this first post, I haven’t written in a while so I am very rusty but I promise things will be longer and tidier soon. Thank you so much for reading.

If all of your friends are busy or aren’t down, all you have is yourself so here are some ways to catch a vibe in the most unlikeliest of times…

• Find the nearest body of water and travel there, swim if you can

• Have a picnic with your favourite snacks

• Go on a walk

• Have a long play session with your pet

• Read a book in the great outdoors

• Do errands such as grocery shopping or laundry

• Get ice cream

• Do your hair and/or makeup, take pics

• Go out to have a drink, be open to conversations at the bar

• Join a last minute yoga or pilates class

• Go shopping

• Meditate and journal

• Go to the gym

• Facetime someone

• Get really cozy and play video games

• Hop on your dating app of choice and catch up with all of the Heys

• Smoke a weedie

• Get your tan in

• Devise a new life plan/course of action

• Get your nails done

• Catch the sunrise or sunset

• Cook or bake something new

• Wine + any of the above

• Go on a scenic drive windows down music blaring

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