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

[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?

Yabu

If you cant wear a mask (and some people cant) then get yourself organised with some online slots so you dont need to venture into shops going forward. This is a crisis situation. If you cant shop safely in person then find another way to shop.

If I feel a panic attack coming on, I leave the store, have my panic attack, then put my mask back on and finish my shopping or just go home if I can’t manage that. I won’t subject other people to my germs because of my phobia.

Welcome to 2021. Its now illegal to see your own family. The government are now debating if you can go outside to exercise at all. Anxiety and mental health problems are once again not real according to society and sufferers should stay locked away. People online getting death threats for mentioning something the baying mob disagrees with.

Legally? Yes. Anyone who experiences “severe distress” from a mask does not have to wear one.

I have the same issue and through practice am able to wear a mask for the time it takes me to go round a supermarket. Have you tried practising wearing it at home, outside on a walk where you can easily take it off if needed etc?

@queenofSI

I don’t think it’s reasonable

Wow some of the comments. Mumsnet you're really out doing yourself with a lack of empathy.

Also, if you are too far from the entrance, go to the cold section. The cooler air will help with the panic attack.

Don't put yourself through it, get an online shop delivered.

Have you had panic attacks before? Could you define "mild"?

It literally does not matter one bit who can manage a panic attack or leave the shop, if OP feels incapable then she is incapable (as also says the government guidelines). If you're able, focus on wearing your mask and staying safe to protect vulnerable people - e.g. people with illnesses who cannot wear a mask, including mental! and carry on with your day. The ableism on here already (3 pages in!) is repulsive.

I’m surprised people are asking you. 80% of the people I see aren’t wearing one or aren’t wearing it properly. (Noses out, mask on the chin or hanging off one ear)

Just say you’re exempt and if pushed you don’t need to explain your medical history to a random stranger.

However personally I would say your anxiety (as someone who has had crippling anxiety) can be managed, and you can find other solutions, a snood you pull up, a face shield or something else that works for you. Or figure out why the mask is scaring you.

I think you should do what you need to do for your mental health and only you know what you can and can’t handle.

But I can understand why people may feel aggrieved at their chance of catching covid being increased, because you feel like you can’t breath, when actually, you can.

Oh wow. There are some truly disgusting attitudes on this thread. Be kind got up and fucked off didn't it.

Let's hope if any of you ever experience mental health issues and need help that people aren't so dismissive, unkind and down right vile to you.

Have all of you missed the "panic attack" bit?

It appears so.

There's a large number of people on MN at the moment who are taking great delight in kicking the living shit out of people when they're in distress.

@GlowingOrb

If I feel a panic attack coming on, I leave the store, have my panic attack, then put my mask back on and finish my shopping or just go home if I can’t manage that. I won’t subject other people to my germs because of my phobia.

Right OK of course you do

RE shopping - in case helps anyone else really struggling

I find the big ones go fastest with delivery slots .... So that’s Tesco, Morrison’s, Asda and Sainsbury’s .

Ring stores if totally stuck, we did for tesco and got access to extra slots (although that was April last year)

Iceland are a lot better for availability and a decent choice .

Some places spar can also deliver .

You could check deliveroo etc if that exists with you ...

Also check eg local wholesalers or grocers, butchers, baker, milkman, fish, a lot of ours now deliver . There’s also online shops like muscle foods etc .

Get bulk buying toiletries eg amazon or boots . We get a huge parcel once every 3 months .

Any DIY or stuff can be easy delivered from Argos etc ...

It’s surprising how easy it is to avoid shops in the long run ...

You can even post parcels from home now .

People are so ignorant when it comes to mental health issues. Of course it’s a good enough reason. I’m sure none of the PPs have ever had a panic attack. It’s not a choice and it can cause an extreme physical reaction, like fainting. Many people take themselves to A&E when they have their first panic attack as it can feel like a heart attack. Anxiety isn’t a choice.

My sister suffers from schizophrenia and has had to take her mask off a few times to prevent a panic attack. It’s heartbreaking to watch.

Have you tried different types of masks and wearing at home for short spells to get more used to it? It might take a bit of time to build up a tolerance to wearing one but part of the anxiety and panic you will feel while out is the judgement of others and the feeling will just snowball. The requirement to wear one is getting more stringent (as it should) so I think it's worth trying a bit of exposure therapy to see if you can overcome the issue when more relaxed at home.

Im sure there was a gas attack you'd manage to wear a mask on your face without a second thought.
This is exactly the sort of "stretching the rules and tweaking to suit"crap that is the complete non-headscratcher of covid rates/deaths that is the shame of the UK..

The psychological fucking damage from being in a warzone (including gas attacks) would be horrendous, and further worsen panic attacks. We are thankfully not in that situation. Just say you don't like disabled people and go. It's not stretching the rules, it quite literally says it in the guidelines.

I see absolute twats every day on the train on the way to work not wearing them. They have a supercillious air about them and unfortunately OP we tar you all with the same brush.

Wear one or stay home

Hi OP, I'm a doctor on a covid ward.

I get anxious wearing a mask and full PPE at work because lots of my patients are dying of covid. I get stressed because the visors steam up and make it hard to see to cannulate/do other procedures. My anxiety is made worse because all of these things can slow down how fast I can treat patients, how quickly I can move from one patient to another. The time lag to attending an emergency.

This whole bloody pandemic is awful for everyone. We've all got to do things we really don't find comfortable. People are dying, and it's people like me that have to (over and over and OVER AND OVER and over again) call hysterical families to tell them their brother, son, sister, daughter, mother, friend, whoever is dead. Dead forever. Dead when they might not be dead if everyone wore a mask, at all times, when out of their own homes.

Why should your anxiety about masks override my anxiety about another mass of the population dying? People who otherwise might be leading happy lives for many more years?

Why does your anxiety trump mine?

Just because you can't see the outcome of your actions, doesn't mean I dont.

Next time you feel anxious in a mask, leave the shop and come in again once you've calmed down. Don't risk somebody's life.

I totally get this, I’m the same, I feel claustrophobic and it sets of anxiety attacks. Unfortunately I’m a nurse on a busy ward so wear my mask and visor for long shifts.

When I can I pop to the toilets for a breather (not as often as I would like, I also don’t get to wee as often as I would like).

Its totally reasonable to not wear a mask if you are unable to for mental health reasons. In your situation I'd continue to persevere, but if you really cant manage it and need to visit a shop its reasonable to do so without a mask. I hate wearing a mask -have severe asthma and am v breathless since covid but I'm just persevering, I know its really just a sensation and I breathe differently when I'm wearing a mask as opposed to not actually getting enough oxygen. I work in mental health and it's a real issue for people, I'd encourage you to practice wearing it at home when you are relaxed for short periods. DP wears one all day at work and is so used to it will forget to take it off when he leaves work now.

@PhyllisAndLucille

Christ almighty OP -both my DC had similar complaints when they had to get used to wearing their masks and our rules in VIC were very much more enforced with high police presence everywhere and massive fines(that police never rescinded/ apologised for) Im sure there was a gas attack you'd manage to wear a mask on your face without a second thought. This is exactly the sort of "stretching the rules and tweaking to suit"crap that is the complete non-headscratcher of covid rates/deaths that is the shame of the UK.. Support bubbles and all the nonsense "special cases for special people" so open to deliberate misuse exposing everyone else..give me a break. Just do the right thing already.

Just do the right thing already? Says the person being horrible to someone about mental health issues? Do you think you're doing the right thing? I don't.