I attended my first Realm Makers conference in 2019, and have attended every year since then until now. There are a couple of factors why I’m not attending this year, but they essentially boil down to: it just didn’t work this year. And as publishers, authors, venders, and attendees have been posting that they’re Realm Makers bound, or have an exclusive opportunity happening at the conference, or all the new things that are happening with the expo, I’ve had to fight some FOMO.

If you’re struggling with conference longing, whether it be for Realm Makers or any event, here are some ideas to help:

* Get off of social media for a while. Realm Makers is July 18-20th, which means that Realm Makers recaps will probably be posted the week of the 20th, and possibly the following week also. Cutting back on or staying off of social media during that time means you won’t be seeing those posts. And not reading those posts can help prevent disappointment or jealousy.

* Do something fun where you are. Going to Grand Rapids isn’t feasible for all us, but you can still have a fun weekend. If you normally write a home, treat yourself to a coffee shop writing day. Or maybe take a break from writing and have an adventure. Go hiking, watch a movie, hang out with friends–there’s plenty of different ways to fill the weekend and make it memorable.

* Be genuinely happy for those who are attending Realm Makers. It’s one thing to comment, “Have a nice time!” on someone’s post about going to the conference. It’s another thing to completely mean it. It isn’t always easy to be completely and solely happy for another person–rather, far from it. But I’ve found that being genuinely happy for someone else’s opportunity is one of the best ways to fight jealousy.

So for those who are headed to Realm Makers, I hope you have safe travels and an amazing weekend. And for those who aren’t headed to Realm Makers, I wish you an amazing weekend as well.