Your steamy polao is now sitting cold on your table. Along with that, the now deflated salad and frothless choice of soda start crying for help, while you are searching endlessly online, jumping from one streaming site to another. All for that one movie or series that's apparently going to make your life worth living again.

By the time you are done looking for recommendations in Quora, Reddit, etc., both your stomach and your food start praying that you find something. This has become a common thing nowadays. And the reason behind this absurd decision paralysis is called FOBO, the fear of better options.

While you may have heard of FOMO, fear of missing out, or JOMO, joy of missing out, which has more to do with how better off or worse off I am than others, FOBO is more personal. It keeps giving you an incessant worrying message saying, “What if there's a better alternative?” until you start going bonkers.

Take shopping, for example. It seems like quite a myth when someone says that they just walk into a shop, choose whatever, and be done in minutes. Because to most of us, if we like a green shirt, there's a paler shade of green waiting to woo us right behind it. And behind that one? There's a “sea green” one. And guess what, another one even has extra pockets!

Three hours later, you walk out with nothing but shame and concern for your mental sanity. Maybe you will find something online?

It's not only shopping.  Eating at restaurants has also become quite a drag. You walk in alone, or with your friends or family, hoping to relax and have a fun time, and behold! There waits the serpentine menu. It's been past 20 minutes, but your friends do not get the fact that now, somehow, your life depends on whether you want pasta, burger, or the ‘Chef's Special Kiss’ with extra cheese.

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Even something like posting a picture or putting something in your social media story has become a huge deal. Many of us take countless minutes, if not hours, in choosing the perfect song, sticker, or the right font for a 30-second reel that no one cares about.

And that unique sunset picture you wanted to capture? By the time you were satisfied, the sun was long gone for the day, and the moon started peeking.

As funny as these situations are, this search for better is not only restricted to Instagram reels and perfect shirt or pyjama hunting. The whispers of FOBO might quite literally ostracise our careers, relationships, and mental well-being. Many people end up developing severe cases of anxiety, decision fatigue, constant dissatisfaction, and lack of confidence.

FOBO in careers may result in constant confusion in choosing what field you want to be in. Do you want a more academic career or head towards corporate opportunities? Once you somehow decide that you cannot choose what skills to bank on. It’s increasingly painful to decide and even costly.

When it comes to relationships, things get even messier. One minute you may like someone, think they might be the love of your life; the next minute you start second-guessing: what if there's someone more attractive, or more compatible? It seems that truly committing to someone is clearly not getting any easier with the “new partner with next swipe” mentality.

Of course, we can always say that we are just being extra careful, and the more options available at our hands, the better. But we also have to agree that our pursuit of “the one” or “the best” is just disguised in the shroud of perfectionism, and there's no such thing as perfect. No matter how much we get to devour, our needs and desires are endless.

So, what do you do? Do you keep climbing the endlessly growing tree of greed that stops at nothing, or do you stop and contemplate? What is it that you truly value? What things are more important? How much time and mental strain is that one decision worth?

A simple solution is sitting down and thinking about these things. What are you really looking for from your career? Decide first if it's a meaningful job that you want or if flexibility is more important to you.

The same goes for relationships. Try to first understand what your needs and priorities are. Make sure that you do not end up losing someone who may not be the most superior partner out there but would have been just the perfect companion for you.

Decide first what type of food you are craving. Sweet or savoury, something light or heavy. Once you know what you want, it gets easier to decide. Ask yourself whether you really care that another backpack, that’s completely identical to the one you are holding, comes with one extra tiny unnoticeable zipper? Come on!

Another strategy you can use is setting a predetermined timeframe. Give yourself 10 to 15 minutes to decide which movie to watch or which food to order. Most importantly, stop free-falling in your hunt for the optimal option. Most likely, there are several good enough choices. Happiness has more to do with contentment, which is subjective to individual preferences, and has little to do with making the best decision.

So, next time your food starts getting cold, choose the good enough option and enjoy the moment.