Mask Anxiety
Face masks have become the norm of everyday life and even while we understand ‘wearing a mask’ forms part of the public health strategy for infection control; some experience extreme difficulty when wearing a mask. For many, they report wearing a mask increases their anxiety.
An important part of managing mask anxiety is understanding why it is a cause of anxiety for you. Here are some (not all) of the reasons why people report that wearing masks increases their anxiety:
Masks impact air flow and perceptually, can be interpreted as restricting airflow; giving people the impression that they are not getting adequate air into their lungs.
Masks obscure your own and other people’s facial expressions and this obscurity can cue all sorts of discomfort. We all rely on facial expressions as social and emotional cues to inform us of how to interact with other people. Facial expression can alert us to threat eg., a threatening person in our environment; or can impact our ability to tell if someone is happy/upset and therefore how we respond to them. Therefore, wearing masks can be particularly difficult for people with trauma and social anxiety.
Having a covering over your face can cause sensory overwhelm for some people with sensory sensitivity.
Wearing a mask (and seeing others in masks) is a physical reminder that our lives have changed and of the challenges we are facing as a society and as individuals.
Helpful tips for managing mask anxiety:
Shop around to find a mask that feels comfortable to you, try out masks made from different materials and masks that sit differently on your face. Sometimes a mask that allows some room in front of your mouth and nose can help to reduce anxiety around air flow and experiences of claustrophobia.
Remind yourself that while it can feel like a mask is impacting air flow, your body knows how to breathe and will default you to getting adequate air. It may be helpful to acknowledge that medical professionals have been wearing masks for years and do not report problems getting adequate air flow.
Try adding a calming scent to your mask by putting in a drop of essential oil and practice focusing on this scent if you begin to feel overwhelmed by wearing a mask.
If you find masks act as an uncomfortable reminder of living through a pandemic try practicing some mindfulness skills to ground your nervous system.
Stay hydrated - your nervous system and body systems respond favourably to hydration.
Like many strategies for managing anxiety, graded exposure is a good starting point. Practice wearing your mask in environments that minimise new or challenging stimulus eg., at home. See if you can get ‘attached’ to your mask by adopting a different attitude toward it. For example, you may see it as an object that sustains you much like a water bottle. Assume your nervous system will habituate to it like many other adaptations you’ve made over the years.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself, and remember that we are in a strange situation and we are not always going to be able to adapt seamlessly to all the new challenges we have had to face.
If you are finding it difficult to manage anxiety around wearing a face mask you can always seek help from a mental health professional.
Thanks Courtney Lander who wrote about this important topic.
Disclaimer
The contents of this blog are not prepared as definitive statements or prescribed instruction for your personal or professional circumstance and no guarantee can be given that todays discussion is free from error or omission. The diagnosis and treatment of mental health challenges requires the specific attention of a GP or other properly qualified mental health professional engaged to treat your personal circumstance in the appropriate setting.
Masters & Co., all employees and agents shall accept no liability for any act or omission occurring as a result of reliance on the information at this workshop and for any consequences of any such act or omission. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis please contact LIFELINE on 13 11 14 (Open 24 hours) or contact admin@masterspsychology.com.au for more information.
