The Mask
Unmasked Reality
“(one’s) mask slips
One’s true personality, agenda, or motivation has been revealed, which stands in contrast to what was presented to other people.
’Her masked slipped for just a moment, and everyone could see the contempt she really held for her audience.’”
The world previously wore an invisible mask. We were too ignorant to grasp the concept or rather to naive to accept the truth. We went from believing it all with an invisible mask to now having trust issues with an actual mask. WTF happened?
This global mask while intended and deemed a necessity to save lives, murdered copious relationships, hopes and desires. A new global pandemic has risen within an already existing one, I call it, ‘one’s mask flip’.
You must be in a previous content position in your life or hold 100% inner peace not to be affected by this masking. And even then, ask those, the toughest amongst us all, still endured.
What are the ramifications the mask is executing on the mind, and what can we do to rectify the ruins or prevent imminent adversaries?
SMEYES took over SMILES
Ninety percent of our communication is through our facial expressions. Essentially your eyes glimmer with joy, strain in anger, and tear in sorrow. The face holds that bodacious smile when ecstatic or that sweet innocent smirk to a stranger passing by that may need that considerate vibe. The mask took this natural and yet so powerful source of communication away from our people. Facial acceptance of strangers is practically obsolete, let alone transferring a grin.
Smiles were free, infectious, and by jolly just a miraculous sensation. Did you know that your facial muscles transfer a message within your nerves to your brain cells when you smile and automatically induce and release oxytocin within your body? In lamest terms, let's call them 'happy cells.' Our happy cells are dividedly compromised!!!
Yes, you may be smiling behind the mask, although most likely for a lessened time, and no one would notice it unless you took your mask off. As sparkling as your eyes can look, it's simply not the same. It's the disparity between window shopping and securing a purchase. In one scenario, you visualize the feeling, yet when you associate it's yours, you display it. We can no longer parade our smiles to the world unless we are behind another mask, 'the social media mask.' I trust you comprehend where this is going. Globally, we project that happiness can solely exist online because a smile and laughter are now a commodity one rarely seizes to see.
SOLUTION
When you go out for essential errands, please catch a picture in your car without your mask and express a personal text smile to your close friends, letting them see and sense the happiness through you radiating onto them.
Do a drive-by and smile at your neighbor's, friend's, or even stranger from afar.
Laugh a little deeper beneath your mask so the person near you can sense your delight.
BEHIND THE SCENES ‘DEPRESSION’
There are no statistics that can quantify the significant loss of anticipation, desire, and motivation. What happened to look fly and trendy all the time? Who holds the energy after being absolutely exhausted from working from home, remote schooling, and miscellaneous increased errands during the pandemic; to dress up by the mirror to look your very best, only then to hide your very best. Especially if you have a tiny face like myself, I battled it for the first two months with my favorite red lipstick, and I would continuously resemble a clown as I removed the mask. Alas, I gave up and am wearing nude colors unless I am at home with no mask.
Except it's more than what's physical; we hide behind the mask; it's a killjoy ideology at the moment. Many women skipped washing their hair regularly, arranging blowouts, fancy makeup (I would know as a makeup educator, the rate has taken a toll,) and even dressing up. Unless you are an entrepreneur and upkeep on social media or a high social media following, most people pick their temporary pandemic clothes and look and rotate between them with a special day here on there. Many people gained weight, not getting haircuts, all the grooming limited due to a loss of motivation, income, and anticipation.
"why should I bother, no one sees it anyway, no one cares, hardly anyone there," became a prominent thought process.
Yes, there are exceptions, like to everything else. The persistent never gave up. These people got their haircut and styles; they went for facials, manicures, pedicures, shopping, golfing, vacationing, swimming, socializing, and dressed up regardless. Kudos to those who didn't give up hope during this stressful time.
SOLUTION
1: Stop believing you are doing it for anyone else except yourself.
2. Support the small business and go for a haircut, facial, makeup, shopping. If your only reason is to help others during a pandemic, in the end, the actual benefit would be yours because the offering is medicinal.
3. Ask yourself, how much longer is life guaranteed? Why give up now? Build a more robust mindset and combat the depression. I know it's troublesome, but if you do it consistently for three to seven days, it won't be such a struggle anymore. Accept reality and stay positive that this is only transient.
4. Plan an activity daily. It will give you something to look forward to during these challenging times.
5. Go for a brisk walk daily around the block, beach, or hiking trail.
6. Be certain you are resting and sleeping properly
7. Stay away from junk food that induce brain cells to think negatively and inhibit positive behavior.
Who's behind the MASK?
Friend or Foe? Thoughtfully as if it wasn't already complicated deciding whom to let go of and who to be patient with before the mask, now it's even more complex. Or is it?
There can exist infinite reasons why and how people have transformed during the pandemic. Whether they are exhausted from putting up a facade, they are falling patience, overwhelmed, desperate, racist, or the mask gave them a reason to unveil their authentic demeanor for what it is.
Since the beginning of the mask, society congregated to two extremes with a tiny grey area (except for the utterly confused). Either people became authentically selfish or genuinely selfless. I honestly believe the mask revealed the true personalities of their values. So if they were unintentionally rude or stressed pre-pandemic and charming to you now, they understood the elements they took for granted and experienced a reality check that people or you are genuinely the most meaningful possessions in their lives.
Or if they were pleasant to you before and all of a sudden they are cold now or ghosted you now, then you understand that it wasn't indeed ever based on a sound foundation, and in a time of significant importance, you both grew separate ways, and no one is frankly interested in putting up a facade.
Ergo those close and intimate with you now are the ones that stood by your side during a global crisis; they possess nothing to mask behind your back, they hold a massive smile behind that mask you can't see, yet you can feel.
For those that disappeared, be happy, glad, relieved, the superficial users and abusers, lip service, coddling beings are now hunting for other victims because you are too bright to repeat the same mistake twice. And although you can still be polite, you now know the truth, and it shall set you free and not cage your mind.
SIMPLE EQUATION:
If they were there for you throughout the pandemic, they invariably love you and care for you. If your friends and family were not, they never loved you enough to deem you a priority during a world pandemic. And that my friends, as sad as it is, it's the fucken truth.
People will gravitate towards their kind. The cruel will equate with its own and the generous with theirs. All I can offer you is to be kind to yourself and never cease loving those who genuinely were there for you, even behind the mask.
When this pandemic ends, hug those tightly that supported you through the most precedented time of your life!!
AMEN!
Genuinely Unveiled,
