Embracing JOMO: The Joy of Missing Out Through Floatation Therapy

For the last decade, wellness has been driven by trends that reward doing more: more data, more routines, more optimisation, and more visibility. Track your sleep. Share your cold plunge. Stack your supplements. Post the proof.

But something interesting is happening beneath the noise.

A quieter counter-movement is emerging—one that values absence over addition, subtraction over stimulation. It’s the joy of missing out (JOMO), and floatation therapy might be its purest expression.

From FOMO to JOMO in the Wellness World

Fear of missing out once fuelled wellness culture. If you weren’t meditating daily, fasting correctly, or wearing the right wearable, it felt like you were falling behind. JOMO flips that narrative.

It’s not about rejecting health or self-care—it’s about letting go of the pressure to constantly engage, consume, and perform wellness. JOMO asks a different question:

What happens when you step away from everything that demands your attention?

Floatation therapy doesn’t answer that question with advice or metrics. It answers it with experience.

What Floatation Therapy Actually Removes

Unlike many modern wellness practices that add stimuli, floatation therapy is defined by what it takes away:

• No screens

• No notifications

• No gravity pulling on joints

• No social interaction

• No music, talking, or guidance

• No performance or productivity goal

  
  

In a float tank, the nervous system is given something rare: nothing it needs to respond to. This absence is not empty—it’s restorative.

The Nervous System in a World of Too Much

From a physiological perspective, modern life keeps the sympathetic nervous system switched on. Even “relaxing” activities often come with input: podcasts, videos, tracking apps, and goals.

Floatation therapy creates an environment of minimal sensory input, often described as Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST). Research has linked this state to:

• Downregulation of stress responses

• Reduced cortisol

• Increased parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activity

• Improved emotional regulation

  
  

In other words, floating supports the body in doing what it already knows how to do—once we stop interfering.

JOMO: Missing Out on Productivity—On Purpose

One of the most radical aspects of floatation therapy is that it cannot be multitasked. You can’t optimise a float. You can’t scroll. You can’t check progress.

For many people, this is initially uncomfortable. The mind reaches for stimulation because it’s been trained to equate stillness with inefficiency.

But this is where the shift happens.

During a float, the brain often moves naturally toward slower wave states associated with creativity, insight, and emotional processing. Many floaters report:

• A sense of mental spaciousness

• Time distortion

• Reduced rumination

• Unexpected clarity or emotional release

  
  

Nothing is being done—yet something deeply restorative is happening. That’s JOMO in action.

Floatation Therapy vs Performative Wellness

Wellness has become highly visible. If it can’t be photographed, tracked, or shared, it’s often overlooked. Floatation therapy resists this entirely.

There’s no feed-friendly moment. No transformation selfie. No data graph to post. And that’s precisely why it works.

By removing the audience—real or imagined—floating allows people to reconnect with an internal experience that isn’t curated or judged. The value comes from how you feel afterwards, not how it looks online.

In a culture of constant self-presentation, floatation therapy offers something rare: privacy.

Why JOMO-Driven Wellness Is Growing

People aren’t abandoning wellness—they’re refining it. There’s growing fatigue with:

• Over-complicated routines

• Endless protocols

• Conflicting advice

• The pressure to “do it right”

  
  

JOMO-aligned practices like flotation therapy appeal because they are:

• Simple

• Time-bound

• Non-competitive

• Internally focused

• Nervous-system first

  
  

You don’t need discipline to float. You just need to show up and stop.

The Paradox: Missing Out to Feel More

One of the most common post-float reflections is a heightened sense of presence afterwards—colours feel sharper, conversations slower, and the body calmer.

By temporarily missing out on external stimulation, people often reconnect more deeply with everyday life. This is the paradox at the heart of JOMO wellness:

By opting out briefly, you come back more available.

Floatation Therapy as a Practice of Subtraction

If wellness trends once asked, "What should I add?", the next chapter may ask:

What can I safely remove?

Floatation therapy removes noise, pressure, and expectation. It doesn’t promise optimisation—it offers regulation.

In a world that rewards constant engagement, choosing to float is a quiet act of resistance. Not missing out. Choosing to miss out.

And discovering that, sometimes, less really is more.

Conclusion: The Transformative Power of JOMO

In conclusion, embracing the joy of missing out through floatation therapy can lead to profound changes in how we perceive wellness. It encourages us to step back from the chaos of modern life and reconnect with ourselves.

As we navigate this journey, we find that the absence of distractions allows for greater clarity and emotional balance. This practice is not just about relaxation; it’s about rediscovering who we are beyond the noise.

So, the next time you feel overwhelmed, consider floatation therapy. It may just be the break you need to embrace the beauty of JOMO.