How weird is it to still wear the mask in public?

[noname223]

I was yesterday at my college and it was stressful as fuck. I was kind of paranoid and currently I am very fragile. It is pretty dangerous.
I am kind of scatterbrained but I am overwhelmed and this is part of my illness. I started to overthink many social interactions. How people perceive me and what other people think of me. At college I wore the mask. Not sure why. I am just used to it and I sometimes try to be a contrarian. It is popular not to wear them currently. Despite the fact many have colds etc.

Some people in public transport don't wear them anymore despite the fact it is still mandated. Though at college it is not mandated since a long time. It is on voluntary basis.
I don't like to be sheep but I am not sure what this really means. At the beginning of the pandemic the people against masks and vaccines called the other ones brainwashed. Now the people is tired of covid and considers it harmelss. "It has to end eventually." "There are so many risks in life we have to live with it".
I kind of understand that. I am kind of puzzled what the current contrarian position on this topic is. However reason is for me more important than being a contrarian.

I am obsessed what other think of me. I kind of liked to hide my face in social interactions it made it easier for me. At least a little bit. But now when I wear them I rather have the feeling they perceive me as weird. In some instances especially when it is health and reason related I also like to swim against the current. (like my position on drugs)
But I am not sure whether it is really worth it in this instance. Long-covid sounds pretty bad but I hate when people gawk at me. And I kind of had this feeling. It was a burden for my vulnerable health so I probably won't repeat it. I am so fucking neurotic I even was too anxious what other people might think if I put the mask off. Currently I am not stable quite the opposite. I overthink and overanalyze everything. It is pretty scary.

So how do you handle it? I assume in some places it is voluntary and maybe in a few mandatory. However I think Germany is pretty late at easing/slackening the rules.

 

[lionetta12]

I was yesterday at my college and it was stressful as fuck. I was kind of paranoid and currently I am very fragile. It is pretty dangerous.
I am kind of scatterbrained but I am overwhelmed and this is part of my illness. I started to overthink many social interactions. How people perceive me and what other people think of me. At college I wore the mask. Not sure why. I am just used to it and I sometimes try to be a contrarian. It is popular not to wear them currently. Despite the fact many have colds etc.

Some people in public transport don't wear them anymore despite the fact it is still mandated. Though at college it is not mandated since a long time. It is on voluntary basis.
I don't like to be sheep but I am not sure what this really means. At the beginning of the pandemic the people against masks and vaccines called the other ones brainwashed. Now the people is tired of covid and considers it harmelss. "It has to end eventually." "There are so many risks in life we have to live with it".
I kind of understand that. I am kind of puzzled what the current contrarian position on this topic is. However reason is for me more important than being a contrarian.

I am obsessed what other think of me. I kind of liked to hide my face in social interactions it made it easier for me. At least a little bit. But now when I wear them I rather have the feeling they perceive me as weird. In some instances especially when it is health and reason related I also like to swim against the current. (like my position on drugs)
But I am not sure whether it is really worth it in this instance. Long-covid sounds pretty bad but I hate when people gawk at me. And I kind of had this feeling. It was a burden for my vulnerable health so I probably won't repeat it. I am so fucking neurotic I even was too anxious what other people might think if I put the mask off. Currently I am not stable quite the opposite. I overthink and overanalyze everything. It is pretty scary.

So how do you handle it? I assume in some places it is voluntary and maybe in a few mandatory. However I think Germany is pretty late at easing/slackening the rules.

I don't think most people care, but I wear it every so often if I just don't want to deal with anyone.

 

[LastFlowers]

I think we are at the point (or long past it) where wearing the mask is going to draw more negative attention and prying than not.
It's very unfortunate for those who have actually found comfort in wearing them.
No more blending in and laying low or perhaps being able to hide anything unfavorable.

Now people are making insulting assumptions and stare.
Which is what some people were trying to avoid while continuing to wear the mask in the first place.
They might think you're up to no good and want to hide your identity, that you are some paranoid and uninformed health nut, or that you're physically unattractive/covering something up.
(The latter two groups should be left alone regardless, they're not hurting anything or anyone by wearing the mask.)
Probably the most favorable conclusion they could make is that you are sick or that your health and immune system are somehow compromised. For that, they will leave you alone.
But then you've got people who say the masks don't protect the wearer or do much anyhow, so that will influence how they assess your use of it.

Still, some are going to continue wearing masks anyhow, others' perceptions be damned.
And some locations might still have mandates or preferences for wearing masks, while others don't.
If there is a spike in an area's health crisis cases, this could also affect how socially acceptable it is to wear a mask, once again.

Everyone cares what other people think of them to a certain extent, especially when they've already been burned or ostracized in the past.
I am sorry that you have to worry about being able to do something so simple as slipping a piece of fabric over your face.
You should be allowed to do that without the hassle of other peoples' bullshit.

 

[zeenatax]

Yes I still do wear them proudly. Nobody bat an eye here. I wear dark black mask. May be I look very menacing. I don't think anyone gives a damn.

Pandemic is not over yet. By wearing them you protect yourself and the vulnerable people, and I don't want to take unnecessary risk. I am used it and feel as if I am naked if I don't wear them when I go out in the public.

 

[Kattt]

I do because I have an auto immune condition so it's not just about COVID, but any contagious illness.
If I get sick, there's a chance it will result in a lengthy hospital stay, possible secondary complications and even death. At the very least, it is ridiculously difficult to recover. For example, I had an infection that would normally be easily treated with a single course of antibiotics. 4 years down the line and it's still knocking about.

 

[TCotton]

In London nobody wears them anymore... but I wore it for two years

 

[Someone123]

I've the vaccine and all the boosters, and after that I got a mild case, so my immunity must be strong, so no mask for me. For people with comp[romised immunity the masks still make sense, and you can't tell if they have this issue by looking at the. It's a choice, it's a risk factor- no one knows for sure if they will get a serious case.

 

[Unending]

I didn't wear them for a while but have began to again recently since moving back in with my mom. I'm not worried about getting it as much as I am worried about giving it to my mom since she has health problems. I've worried about how people percieve it as well considering that everyone else stopped wearing them but I think it's just typical anxiety and overthinking. But yeah, I kind of prefer them in some ways since they hide my face. Makes me feel less panicked around people in public that way.

 

[Kattt]

I've the vaccine and all the boosters, and after that I got a mild case, so my immunity must be strong, so no mask for me. For people with comp[romised immunity the masks still make sense, and you can't tell if they have this issue by looking at the. It's a choice, it's a risk factor- no one knows for sure if they will get a serious case.

Yeah. You absolutely can't ascertain from someone's appearance, whether their immune system is compromised. Following chemotherapy, patients remain vulnerable for years. The chances are that you know people like me with lifelong auto immune issues. Because it's something we deal with everyday of our lives, we don't talk about it or expect others to adapt their behaviours for our protection. We're the people who stand slightly apart from others, open and close doors with their sleeve or butt and never appear to get sick. That's because we become experts at avoiding it.
There's no such thing as a mild strain. The very same viral load that gives someone with a fully functional immune system symptoms which are barely noticeable, will be devastating for the elderly, those with respiratory problems and/or immunodeficiency.

 

[weightedrocks]

Ur good nobody cares. I still wear mine all the time. Kinda look like a girl in select angles with a mask on kinda cool.

 

[elelanda]

i still wear them but i dont rlly notice if ppl around me wear them so u probably shouldn't dwell on it

 

[aweary]

I would say it isn't weird at all to wear the mask in public. Some places it is still mandatory. In grocery stores I see a lot, not all, but most of the employees and some of the customers wear masks. Everyone at the doctor's office wears a mask all day. I wore a mask the other day because I had a cold and didn't want to spread it. Nobody looked at me funny.

Keep in mind, everyone else is preoccupied with their own appearance. They don't have time to judge you. They are thinking of something that they do or wear that might be thought of as odd!

 

[lofticries]

Wear your mask if you want. While not japan lvl norm around the world, it isn't exactly uncommon to see someone else wearing it.

 

[miserableforever]

I wear mine in public cause I hate getting sick and I feel less anxious overall with my face hidden. I like it.

 

[valkyrie]

I don't like them because somehow I get panic attacks easier wearing them
It's harder to breathe
But I liked the fact I can make dumb facial expressions under them and nobody can tell
I think here it's more normal to not wear atm, but nobody will really overthink it

 

[toro]

I was yesterday at my college and it was stressful as fuck. I was kind of paranoid and currently I am very fragile. It is pretty dangerous.
I am kind of scatterbrained but I am overwhelmed and this is part of my illness. I started to overthink many social interactions. How people perceive me and what other people think of me. At college I wore the mask. Not sure why. I am just used to it and I sometimes try to be a contrarian. It is popular not to wear them currently. Despite the fact many have colds etc.

Some people in public transport don't wear them anymore despite the fact it is still mandated. Though at college it is not mandated since a long time. It is on voluntary basis.
I don't like to be sheep but I am not sure what this really means. At the beginning of the pandemic the people against masks and vaccines called the other ones brainwashed. Now the people is tired of covid and considers it harmelss. "It has to end eventually." "There are so many risks in life we have to live with it".
I kind of understand that. I am kind of puzzled what the current contrarian position on this topic is. However reason is for me more important than being a contrarian.

I am obsessed what other think of me. I kind of liked to hide my face in social interactions it made it easier for me. At least a little bit. But now when I wear them I rather have the feeling they perceive me as weird. In some instances especially when it is health and reason related I also like to swim against the current. (like my position on drugs)
But I am not sure whether it is really worth it in this instance. Long-covid sounds pretty bad but I hate when people gawk at me. And I kind of had this feeling. It was a burden for my vulnerable health so I probably won't repeat it. I am so fucking neurotic I even was too anxious what other people might think if I put the mask off. Currently I am not stable quite the opposite. I overthink and overanalyze everything. It is pretty scary.

So how do you handle it? I assume in some places it is voluntary and maybe in a few mandatory. However I think Germany is pretty late at easing/slackening the rules.

when i was still in college (then I dropped out HAHA) it was the same! the rules started to lax and suddenly I was the only one in the building still wearing a mask, even thinking about taking it off would send me spiraling to the point where the counselor just locked me in a room for the day until I calmed down X_X to be honest, no one really actually cared that i was wearing a mask i think, they probably just thought i was weird bc i looked paranoid and terrified all the time (literally been called 'suicide eyes' by people irl) and less bc i covered my face, if people ask questions, i just brought up the fact that i live with my grandparents in the house and didn't wanna bring anything home, so it helps to have an excuse in the bag.

i can assure u very few people actually care, its hard to think that when ur in the moment and are like oh mygod they're looking at me, but thinking back on it the people in my college classes dgaf about me wearing a mask all the time, just the fact that i was perpetually and visibly uncomfortable HAHAH, i still see people wearing masks when im walking to work/home, and i never think about it beyond 'oh man i wish i hadn't lost mine', stores near me don't sell masks anymore so i cant get a replacement either, just stuff my face into the collar of my coat and hope no one sees me

sorry for the big ramble!! i just like talking :p

 

[JusTired]

It is not weird to wear one at all. On the contrary, the risk is still very much there and it is shameful how little people care about themselves, say nothing of others.

I always say I may be okay with suicide but I am not a masochist. I do not intentionally want to harm and hurt myself. I want to die but I don't want to suffer.

I still take my health seriously and am not trying to make anyone else sick either.

 

[Kurushii]

I always wear my mask and people don't notice me because I'm wearing one. The pandemic is still here so I see nothing wrong with taking steps to protect yourself and others by doing something simple like wearing a nice mask. I do notice that mostly everyone doesn't wear the mask anymore, which is their choice, but then this is why the virus is still around.. I like wearing masks anyways, and they keep my face warm when it's cold too, which is a bonus

 

[Temporal_Anchorite]

Kind of cringe tbh, especially if you're outside. Wearing a mask in public is not contrarian in the slightest, just overly-neurotic.

 

[LateForTheBus]

I still wear mine when I go into stores, etc. I'm immunocompromised and don't want to get sick. Yes, I'm here because I want to ctb, but I want to do it on my terms and as quickly and painlessly as possible - not from some miserable illness. I'd say maybe 25% of the people I see still wear one. Luckily, I don't care what people think of me still wearing a mask. You do what you're comfortable with.

 

[liz!!!!!]

i mean..to some people, apparently. got sick and at the time a few family members got the big C, so when i went to work i wore a mask. was told to take it off because i'd "scare the customers"
i wasn't sick as a dog yet, so i was still able to work. and i know now they didn't really have the right to tell me to take it off, all things considered, so.. yeah. feel pretty bad that i did.

 

[Grav]

I don't wear one now unless I have to, which is every hospital or doctor's office I go to, my dentist just made them optional. I hate breathing warm air and the mast just makes a trip that much crappier for me. If other people want to I couldn't care less. I never felt any comfort wearing one but if it helps you then wear it. I think the "mask/no mask mouthing off" has died down, at least I don't hear it. The one thing that I do think is odd is when people are driving their car, alone, and still wearing a mask. It just looks off and I don't compute.

 

[N2euro]

I continue to wear my mask and don't mind what others think. I find it encourages more people around me to practice physical distancing, something I appreciate.