‘Mask Anxiety’ Is a Real Thing and You Might Become Victim to It

It's somewhat hard to believe yet oddly satisfying that on May 29, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is lifting the mask mandate.

Ever since March of 2020, I never got use to wearing face masks or neck gaiters, but then again, who really enjoys it? Doctors and nurses have been use to this sort of PPE practice for years, but for some of us who never wore a protective face mask in their life, such as myself, it's not exactly easy to dive right in.

However, on the flip side of all of this, once it's safe to be mask-free (at your own comfort), it's going to seem very different. We're going to constantly say to ourselves shoot, I forgot my mask and then instantly realize, oh, wait, I don't need it anymore. It's become a part of our daily check list when leaving the house: keys, phone, wallet, mask. I'm so accustomed to making my mask a high priority that it's going to feel different not to have to worry anymore about it.

You might even catch yourself feelings out of place, or somewhat "naked" when walking around in public, especially if you run into someone who still wishes to wear their mask for their own protection (and that's totally fine), that you might feel as though you're the one who's out of line.

If you find yourself stuck in any of these situations, there's a solid chance that you have "mask anxiety" and don't even realize it. I'm here to tell you that it's temporary, it will soon pass.