Page 15 | To ask if Anxiety is an acceptable excuse for not wearing a mask?

RiojaRose · 13/01/2021 01:23

Just a quick suggestion - are you wearing a fabric mask? I too felt really claustrophobic in them which made me breathe faster and feel panicky. Now I use the paper surgical masks (also because they don’t fog up my glasses!) and haven’t had any issues since.

This has been my experience too. I have anxiety and panic attacks, and masks make me claustrophobic. But I felt I had to find a way to make it work because so many people are dying in awful circumstances. And I also have friends with long covid. The risks are just so high. I absolutely believe there are people who can’t wear a mask under any circumstances. But I suspect some people could manage if they worked at it. So I do think everyone owes it to the people they come into contact with to try everything before giving up.

OuiOuiKitty · 13/01/2021 01:26

Brilliant. I’ve got a great idea - why don’t we just go back to putting disabled people and hysterical women in asylums so they don’t have to bother your life at all.

It's pretty disrespectful of you to compare people being put in asylums with someone not being able to wander around m&s without a mask. They are not even close to comparable.

Sinful8 · 13/01/2021 01:28

@covidaintacrime

But this isn't irrational anxiety its just finding the physical sensation unpleasant and can be trained out

"Unpleasant" ≠ causing panic attacks. Most people find wearing masks unpleasant but they can stomach it, if it causes you severe mental health consequences and you feel you cannot stomach it then you are absolutely justified to not wear one.

I'm curious to know what method of "training it out" would cure sensory difficulties for people with autism for example?

When you have to make the op autistic to make your point work you've kind of gone off the deepens haven't you?

Sinful8 · 13/01/2021 01:29

Fun fact last time this many British people died this fast the government removed children from cities, nationalised industry and forcibly sent the male population off to fight and die

But masks are too much to ask now

donewithitalltodayandxmas · 13/01/2021 01:31

I dont think anyone else can judge , I suffer from anxiety etc but what makes me anxious , wouldn't make someone else.
I think too many people have used one of the reasons not to wear one that could actually wear ome and messed it up for genuine people thats the issue.

MagentaDoesNotExist · 13/01/2021 01:38

I think I've lost my last bit of faith in human nature from reading the vile things on this thread. I am really sorry you have been spoken to this way OP, it's disgusting.

covidaintacrime · 13/01/2021 01:41

How would you feel the same if your child was autistic and had to wear a mask in school for example and people were saying if your child can't wear a mask they should stay home and said child's mental health was such that they needed to be in school

I don't really understand where you're going with this. If my child were exempt due to their autism and they needed to go to school, they would go to school. The government has put these guidelines in place to protect everyone, and that includes those who are mask exempt - I'm going to trust that and other disabled people to make reasonable decisions for themselves.

When you have to make the op autistic to make your point work you've kind of gone off the deepens haven't you?

Mentioning autism is "going off the deepend?" . And no, because we are having a discussion at large and people are often having a go at anyone with any mask exemption so I will mention other exemptions- this is also ignoring the point that anxiety and autism are commonly correlated.

Ki86 · 13/01/2021 01:44

@balihai550

Just this...I had a mild panic attack in M&S today because for some reason masks make me feel closed in and like I can't breathe.

So I took it off and then had to explain to three people why I couldn't wear it. Anxiety in their view wasn't a good enough reason.

I often try to get online shops but atm all the ocado, Sainsbury's and Waitrose slots in my area are gone, so have to venture out.

Is not wearing a mask because of Anxiety and panic attacks unreasonable?

I suffer when I wear a thick mask, try wearing a disposable surgical mask they work so much better for me. Remember a mask is to protect others.

PastaPins · 13/01/2021 02:03

As an asthmatic nurse who wears these for 12.5 hour shifts in sometimes very uncomfortable, hot and a heavy workload environment, yes you are being very unreasonable.

MagentaDoesNotExist · 13/01/2021 02:05

@ToadsThePeanutButterSnob

I remember at the start of last year when Caroline Flack commited suicide. Social media and just everyone in general were falling over themselves about how people should be kind, they were here if anyone needed to talk and how people shouldn't be afraid of speaking out and seeking help if they were feeling down.

At some point in the middle of last year everything suddenly switched and all kindness and concern for mental health was thrown out of the window. Anybody talking about feeling low, anxious or even suicidal is immeditley shot down and told to STFU because there are more imortant things going on.

It's scary how fast things can turn.

History repeats itself until people learn the lessons.

Toilenstripes · 13/01/2021 02:07

Everyone has anxiety when it comes to something they don’t want to do.

MagentaDoesNotExist · 13/01/2021 02:09

@covidaintacrime

How would you feel the same if your child was autistic and had to wear a mask in school for example and people were saying if your child can't wear a mask they should stay home and said child's mental health was such that they needed to be in school

I don't really understand where you're going with this. If my child were exempt due to their autism and they needed to go to school, they would go to school. The government has put these guidelines in place to protect everyone, and that includes those who are mask exempt - I'm going to trust that and other disabled people to make reasonable decisions for themselves.

When you have to make the op autistic to make your point work you've kind of gone off the deepens haven't you?

Mentioning autism is "going off the deepend?" . And no, because we are having a discussion at large and people are often having a go at anyone with any mask exemption so I will mention other exemptions- this is also ignoring the point that anxiety and autism are commonly correlated.

It is not "going off the deep end". I'm sorry that you view us as some kind of weird alien and not just humans who aren't the same as you. I am autistic. There are probably lots of things I can do that you can't. And lots of things that you can do that I can't, including wearing a mask.

I shop online and hardly leave the house at the moment. In the rare moments though that I have to go somewhere (maskless, gasp!) I am not an evil person. I just need to get stuff to feed my children. I do it as quickly as possible, terrified, hoping that I will not come across someone like you.

MagentaDoesNotExist · 13/01/2021 02:11

@covidaintacrime sorry that post was not aimed at you, but the awful posters that you were responding to also.

covidaintacrime · 13/01/2021 02:14

sorry that post was not aimed at you, but the awful posters that you were responding to also

No worries at all, my mistake Magenta!

StatisticalSense · 13/01/2021 02:15

Honestly I find the attitudes on this site very troubling. Either you care about minimising the risk in shops at all costs in which case you would also be telling those incapable of shopping alone to stay out of shops (as 2 people wearing masks are still more risky than one person not doing so) or you care about the rights of disabled people in which case you would be accepting that some are genuinely unable to wear a mask and such people should be allowed to shop without one. Those of you who are don't have a problem with people shopping with others but do have a problem with those unable to wear masks are being totally illogical.

lovelemoncurd · 13/01/2021 02:15

I remember a few months ago when we got these types of threads people would say ' if you are exempt then no one should challenge you' 'it's your right' blah blah

Now it's WEAR A F* MASK YOU ARSE.

My how times change!

MagentaDoesNotExist · 13/01/2021 03:11

@covidaintacrime

sorry that post was not aimed at you, but the awful posters that you were responding to also

No worries at all, my mistake Magenta!

It wasn't your mistake at all. But you are very kind and thank you for that.

MagentaDoesNotExist · 13/01/2021 03:23

@lovelemoncurd

I remember a few months ago when we got these types of threads people would say ' if you are exempt then no one should challenge you' 'it's your right' blah blah

Now it's WEAR A F* MASK YOU ARSE.

My how times change!

Exactly. People have become even more cruel and judgemental. It was a shock how horrible people were after the Brexit referendum and the with the pandemic people have become even worse. These things haven't pulled society together as one, instead they have laid bare the ugliness of their thoughts that they kept inside previously but now seem to think are socially acceptable to declare in public. It disgusts me and I can only hope that enough of us feel the same that we can repress it again as socially unacceptable to behave or speak this way (sadly I do not believe it is possible to eradicate such views, all we can do is fight against the attempts to normalise them as acceptable).

ARoseDowntown · 13/01/2021 03:50

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user86329 · 13/01/2021 03:53

How are these threads allowed to run?

Ignore MN OP.

I'm exempt also. If you cannot wear one then don't.

MagentaDoesNotExist · 13/01/2021 04:24

HOWEVER (you knew it was coming): although triggers can be totally out of one’s control sometimes, I’m guessing one can learn to manage panic attacks.

Great. Please explain how I can suddenly remove all of my sensory issues that prevent me wearing a mask, now that it would be convenient for others because there's a pandemic.

Before the pandemic these were my issues and nobody cared about them. That they were too loud on public transport, that the supermarkets were too cold and loud and that the flourescent lights everywhere gave me migraines. That everyone's endless need for small talk was totally exhausting. But I tried to fit into your world, to the detriment of my own health, for years.

People like me, some less articulate and able to defend themselves, CANNOT wear masks. I've tried. I've tried different kinds at home and spent so much money on them. I've tried to "desensitise" myself as many posters suggest. But I can't do it. Sorry if you think I'm a terrible person for this reason.

I hardly leave my house now because I am so scared of people like you. I shop online. But if we can't get a delivery, and I go to a small local shop for 2 minutes at a quiet time of day to buy food, do I or people like me really deserve this vitriol?

By the way, I pay over £40,000 in tax per year towards the NHS. HMRV sends a little pie chart these days to show where our money goes. Does that make a difference?

It really shouldn't. But I think it's so sad that in such awful times people are being so vile to each other rather than supporting each other. This is exactly what they were aiming for putting Patel on the news today. Sidestep the fact that our Government has created the worst recession of any developed country AND one of the highest death rates per capita in the world, and get people blaming each other. Poor people who go to work to stock your supermarket shelves and people who empty your bins. Or autistic people who can't wear masks. They are to blame, for sure, when every other country in the world that is an island managed to prevent the infection becoming endemic? Wake up!

JillofTrades · 13/01/2021 05:04

If you can't wear one then please don't put other people at risk. Yes you have rights and whatever but the right not to be infected is greater. Millions of people around the world manage to get on with it, but I've never heard the amount of excuses as on here.

Norwayreally · 13/01/2021 05:26

I’ve had anxiety for years, I always wear a mask. It made me panic a lot during the summer when it was so warm and I genuinely did feel suffocated but I still wore it. It’s not a good enough excuse, YABU.

GettingAwayWithIt · 13/01/2021 05:42

Try a surgical mask OP, as many have stated they’re a lot more breathable than a cotton one. I wear a surgical mask at work and have a few cotton ones to wear if I’m going to a shop and you can really tell the difference.

Try wearing one for a short time while you’re at home to get a bit more used to it. At first I felt suffocated wearing one but honestly you do get used to it. I find shops can be a bit stressful at the best of times so I can understand how you got a bit anxious.

Please don’t just give up on the masks, they really do help stop the spread. And you’ll get a lot less hassle from others when you’re shopping which will help with how you’re feeling.

VashtaNerada · 13/01/2021 06:01

This could all be resolved if we had a proper system for dealing with exemptions like other countries do. I think the majority of us are sympathetic to those who have a genuine medical reason, but the problem is that mask wearing is so pitiful in this country with many people choosing not to wear one or deliberately wearing it incorrectly that patience is wearing thin and sometimes the wrong people get the blame. For example the four twenty-something men who sat in a circle around me on the tube, talking loudly with their masks on their chins or in their pockets could all have autism/anxiety etc but it would be quite the coincidence. On a tube carriage there’s generally around 30% non-compliance (non scientific guess!) but I’m not convinced that 30% of the population have serious medical issues that prevent them from wearing a mask. Perhaps I’m wrong and a doctor could correct me, but I do think a proper exemption from a medical professional would clear up a lot of this ill will.