When we think of masks, it’s in the context of one being worn temporarily,
such as a Halloween mask. Once the need for the mask is over, you remove it.

The issue with psychological masks is that sometimes they are never removed,
becoming a permanent and very damaging part of you.
I’m not talking about being careful who you open up to or form relationships
with. Caution is rarely a bad thing.

What do I mean by wearing a psychological mask? I mean repressing aspects
(and in some cases, all) of your true self so you can present an artificial
version of yourself to others. You may wear a mask, in the short or long term,
to fit in with social structures, appeal to a desired group of people or to
protect yourself from harm. It is something that we all do to some extent in
our lives.

If you present the alternative you all the time and never let your true self
show, you are hurting yourself by denying who you are. You may even lose
your identity. All those who think they know who you are haven’t got a clue,
and, in the end, you may not have either. You are also lying to those around
you as well as yourself.

Being someone else is hard work; take it from someone who spent several
years doing it. It’s even worse if you’ve created multiple versions of yourself.
Add to that the stress caused if your mask does start to slip. You go into
damage control mode. All the energy you used to keep your mask in place and
gloss over any slips is immense. You can put that energy to much better, less
destructive use.

There are several masks I’ve worn over the years. A few of them have been:

The I’m invincible mask – I’m not, I’m human.
The I’ve got it all sorted mask – no, I don’t, and I don’t have to either.
The I like whatever you like mask – no, I don’t. This one didn’t last too long.
The everything’s fine mask – it isn’t always, and that’s ok. The everything’s
fine mask was the one that caused the most damage. The others gave it a
helping hand.

My masks were not only costing me my identity, but they came close to
costing me my life.

If people like or hate you, let it be for who you are and not what they think you
are. The Jones’ aren’t worth keeping up with, the in crowd won’t always be in,
and society changes.

For better or worse, I am who I am. I’m not perfect or everyone’s cup of tea,
and that’s how it should be. Sometimes I feel masks crawl back on my face,
and I remind myself why I took them off in the first place.

You don’t need to be what others want you to be. You are the only one who has
to live with yourself. So, please, take the mask(s) off and be who you are.

WRITTEN BY LORNA SMART
BLOGGER @POEMSTELLIUM
LINKEDIN:WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/LORNASMARTWORDCRAFTER/