Screw FOMO: Why You Shouldn't Feel Bad About Saying 'No' To Plans

Life is hectic, and our free time always seems to be way too limited.

FOMO is so real, and sometimes, it's hard to deal with.

It's essential in life to be proactive and guilt-free while you're managing your personal time with the things you actually WANT to do, as opposed to the things you feel obligated to do.

Now, I'm not recommending you cancel brunch plans with mom and dad, your grandma's birthday or your girlfriend's engagement party. Certain things in life are our responsibility.

BUT the bottom line is, you shouldn't let the fear of missing out – or the fear of letting the squad down – affect you if what you really want to do sometimes is just stay in and chill.

If it's a plan you really don't want to spend money on because you'd prefer spending that money on something else, you do you... and feel guilt-free while you're doing it.

Here's why you shouldn't feel bad about saying "no" to plans.

1. YOLO.

Do the things you truly want to do, and screw the things you don't want to do.

That being said, you do have to be a team player. If it's something that matters a lot to your friend – if she's in a ballet concert and you despise ballet, for example – you need to suck it up and support her.

We all have to take one for the team sometimes. Go, close your eyes, snooze and bring her some flowers.

2. Honesty is the only freaking policy.

Honesty is the key to any relationship. Be honest with yourself, and be honest with your friends.

If you're going to drop a lot of money and be miserable the entire time, it's not fair to you... and it's certainly not fair to your friends. They're not going to want to look at your scowl anyway.

3. Life is expensive.

Face it: Everything costs money. Some of us are probably broke AF thanks to eating, paying rent and doing the things we really want to do.

The last thing we casually have extra money for is dropping it on a plan we're not about. So, don't.

4. You'll probably be miserable.

The time leading up to your plan is going to stress you the heck out... not to mention getting there, and the entire time you're actually there.

So basically, it's affecting your overall health and well-being. Save yourself while you can.

You're already stressing me out. So cancel, will ya?

5. You're a confident person and DGAF.

Face it; you're not in high school anymore. There will be more plans.

If the squad is giving you a hard time about not going, remind them you're a confident person. You can make up your own mind, and you DGAF.

You're going to feel so much better once you learn the art of saying “no.” It's a two-letter word, and it's much quicker and easier to say than a four-letter word.

You don't have to go into an elaborate reason why: A simple “nah, not my thing, but you guys have a lot of fun” will do.

Trust me, they will still have fun… and so will you.

They will appreciate your honesty… and so will you.

Saying “no” can be a tough hurdle to master, but once you do it the first time, you will feel empowered.

This doesn't give you the excuse to drop a ton of "no's" all the time. When you save your "no's" for the invites you really don't want to go to, you will feel like the coolest cat around.