The masks we wear

We all wear a mask – but we are not the masks we wear.

We choose to play many roles in our lifetime – student, carer, parent, professional, daughter/son, athlete. Homemaker, driver – the list is endless. In each of these roles we take on a persona. How much of this persona is really you?

In my 30 plus years in a professional role I found myself increasingly being taken over by the persona I thought I had to be to fulfil that role. The same could be made of roles as wife, homemaker, gardener, daughter etc. In the balancing act along the way how much of ‘me’ remained?

The roles we play

It could be argued that the ego is the mask we wear to survive in our world. That sense of acting out – performing to the standard set to be in the role we currently have taken.

The masks we wear

In the world we currently inhabit the first thought you may have had could have been about the face mask we wear out in public spaces. Actually it’s quite interesting to consider that mask – because the way we do one thing is usually the way we do everything else. How much can you tell about others – and even yourself – by the choices you make around this simple piece of personal wear?

A few considerations

Do you wear a mask reluctantly? – perhaps unconvinced of the importance (perceived or otherwise). Perhaps under that mask there is a frown and deep resentment as you balance the perceived need against your inner feelings. This situation needs to be acknowledged and addressed at the same level the belief and reluctance is held in order for there to not to be a build-up of stress in your body and mind. Awareness is the start of healing.

Do you not wear a mask – for health or objection reasons? Have you considered the impact of this decision on your health? If you don’t wear one for health reasons do you make that decision with a sense of relief – or a sense of additional stress if you feel, as a result, somewhat vulnerable? -how does that affect you?

If you do have a mask to wear and do so with a level of acceptance, what does that mask look like? Is it a disposable medical one? A washable one? And if it is re-useable is it chosen to blend with your current outfit? Is it decorated with words, an amusing pattern – what colour is it? – does it match you skin tone or is it totally different?

So many options

It struck me that something as apparently simple as this could indicate the type of person we are just as much as the clothes we wear or the words we speak. The masks we wear may indeed say far more than we imagine!