Social media has made loneliness and FOMO so prevalent that it should probably be covered by health insurance. Researchers have found evidence that being excluded or ostracized has similar implications to suffering physical injury [1] — and sadly, feeling left out is something we can all relate to, whether you weren't invited on a group vacation or just didn't get the memo about Sunday brunch. Here are 18 stages, from confusion to straight-up anger, that you likely go through when you're being shut out by friends.
You Scroll Through Instagram and See 1 of Your Friends Doing Something Fun
Then You See a Second Friend Doing That Same Fun Thing
Suddenly a Third Friend Comes Forward Via Snapchat, Adding More Damning Evidence to Your Case
Then Guess Who Posts a Photo of Them All Together? Yep, That Fourth Friend
You Close All Your Social Media Apps and Take a Deep Breath, Figuring It's Just Some Crazy Coincidence
But Then You Remember Asking That First Friend What They Were up to This Weekend and They Said "Nothing"
You Start Mentally Putting the Pieces Together and Realize You've Been Left Out
You Feel the Heat Rising in Your Face and the Stomp Being Released From Your Foot
You Start Wondering What You Ever Did to Deserve This Lack of Companionship
Then Your Hurt Feelings Turn to Straight-Up Anger
It Doesn't Even Matter Because You, Like, Barely Liked Them Anyway, So
Just When You Start Brainstorming What Kind of Petty Sh*t You Can Do to Make Yourself Feel Better . . .
. . . You Realize How Crazy You're Acting and Can't Believe How Emotional You Let Yourself Get
You Remind Yourself That You're a Really Good Friend
And That You're Pretty Fun to Be Around
So If Other People Can't See That, It's Their Problem, Not Yours
You Settle Back Onto the Couch, Put On Some Music, and Pick Up Your Book
Then You Realize You Wanted a Quiet Day at Home and Would Have Said "No" to Their Invite Anyway
Oops. False alarm.