Are you wearing a mask?
Masks have been used by humanity for thousands of years. They were used for protection, disguise, entertainment or ritual practices. These days, we continue to use physical masks in festivals and celebrations, but sometimes we live with a "psychological mask" on our face day after day without even knowing.
In psychology and sociology, “masking” is the process in which someone camouflages their personality, emotions, or behavior to conform to social pressures, abuse, or harassment. In other words, the psychological mask is usually a way for others not to see our true self. Hiding our true self can be exhausting and lead to mental burnout.
Masking can happen consciously. Sometimes, masking is necessary if we feel that by not doing it we put ourselves in danger. But, masking can also happen unconsciously. Let's say for example, you act in a certain way at work because you want your colleagues to accept you or you adopt certain behavior to demonstrate you are someone you are not just to blend in.
There are different reasons why people put on psychological masks, these can go from hiding fear, anxiety, vulnerability, sadness, depression, anger, to protect themselves or to manipulate others. Despite the reason for masking, the effect that masking has in our health can be damaging. When we talk about improving our health, especially our mental health, it is important that we are aware of the use of masking.
So, how do you know if you are masking? You can tell if you are masking by paying attention of your own emotions and behaviors. It is like observing yourself in different situations. To give you an idea of what to look for, here are some situations where you can do a self-check and that can help you identify if you are masking. If you identify yourself with one or more of the following, then you have taken the first step to unmask which is to be AWARE.
- You feel exhausted or unhappy and feel that people don't know who you really are.
- You feel disconnected to your true self.
- You feel the need to act in a certain way to fit in.
- You find yourself mimicking other people's expressions, gestures, clothing, behaviors, etc.
- You feel the need to always please others.
- You are afraid to embark in deep conversations.
- You feel you have to do everything perfectly and don't make mistakes.
- You find yourself talking down to others.
Remember that many times masking is done unconsciously so you really need to observe yourself with all honesty.
Now that you have probably identified where you may be masking, it would be good to know what benefits does unmasking bring you and how to stop wearing psychological masks.
Benefits of unmasking include:
- Self-respect: when you respect yourself and accept yourself for who you are, then others learn to respect you too
- Better relationships: your relationships will now be more genuine and truthful to enjoy
- Awakening your creativity: you start doing what feels true to you and start doing things you enjoy
- Setting yourself free to live a life that is real: when you stop pretending you feel better mentally and physically
All of these benefits sound wonderful but how can you claim them? You will notice that the action steps listed below are simple but may require some work from your part. Nothing is for free, right? You need to do your part.
How to stop using masks:
- Learn to accept yourself for who you are and gradually change the things you don't like about yourself and embrace the things you do. This can take time so be patient.
- Learn to accept others for who they are and stop the judging. When you create a safe environment for yourself and for others, people will have less need for masking.
- Pay attention to how you behave or feel when you are alone. How do you feel when you don't need to pretend to be somebody else?
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you feel you need some guidance and support, find a health professional (psychologist, therapist, coach, etc.) that can help you work through the root causes for masking behavior.
Learning about us can be difficult but not impossible. The purpose of this email is to open parts of our consciousness that have been asleep for a while. Why do we need to pretend to be someone we are not? How is that affecting our self-esteem and our life? Ask yourself those questions and start creating the life you came here to live.
For more information visit https://www.wellnessbloomcoaching.com.