Home > Science > Space

As the big solar eclipse draws near, eclipse FOMO is on the rise

It's a very real thing.

Marcus Gilmer

on August 15, 2017

As the big solar eclipse draws near, eclipse FOMO is on the rise

Eclipse FOMO? You're not alone, gentle soul Credit: MASHABLE COMPOSITE: Wong Maye-E/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Do you feel it?

That nagging sensation at the back of your mind, the tingling that goes off anytime someone mentions the upcoming historic solar eclipse? That surge of butterflies whenever someone asks you if you have your eclipse glasses ready to go? The cold sweat that breaks out whenever someone jokes "but what if it's cloudy on Eclipse Day"?

You know what I'm talking about: it's eclipse FOMO, the anxiety and fear of missing the historic eclipse that everyone -- EVERYONE -- is talking about.

Lots of people have it. There are so many things that could keep you from seeing this once-in-a-lifetime event: travel, work or school obligations, bad weather, you name it.

Or maybe you're just outside the narrow, 70-mile wide "path of totality" that runs across the country from Oregon to South Carolina, and exempt from TOTAL ECLIPSE.

Mashable Light Speed

Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?

By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Thanks for signing up!

Yours will just be a sad, partial eclipse.

Yes, America has plenty already to feel anxious about, but eclipse FOMO is settling in as we near that magic moment of darkness. So much can go wrong and what if we miss out on the eclipse and oh my dear god what else will we have to talk about at the office?

How can we go on about our lives knowing that we missed the biggest celestial event OF THE YOUNG MILLENNIUM? All our Facebook statuses will be lies.

Let us come together in our fear.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Just remember: when you wake up in the middle of the night after having the worst missing-the-eclipse nightmare imagined, you're not alone.

We're in this together, friends.

Topics Mental Health

Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.