Does anyone feel really uncomfortable seeing people in masks?

[Lissy23]

I do.
It feels to be like their ‘faceless’ beings.
I know this sounds really far fetched, but it’s how I feel.

I also find it very unpleasant being unable to see somebody’s facial expression and to know whether they are smiling at me.
I think I’m on the spectrum, possibly aspergers, I’ve been told by various therapists that it’s a possibility.

How will anyone meet a romantic partner if they can’t see their face? Only their eyes? I know eyes are supposed to be the ‘window the soul’ but I can’t bear not seeing somebody’s entire face.

I went to the pharmacy the other day and the pharmacist was wearing a mask, he was talking to me and I didn’t understand him at all. I didn’t think I relied on lip reading, but I obviously do. He said it twice and I didn’t get it, so I just pretended I had

I know this is all for the greater good. But I feel so depressed and anxious by it all, I already suffer with mental health issues.

I am finding it difficult reading books and watching tv programme or films because they make me tearful and remind me of life before all of this ‘new normal’. I’m wondering if I should speak to a doctor. But I have no idea how to word it.
I’ve already had people calling me selfish and childish (friends and family) for being anxious about wearing a face covering.
It isn’t just other people wearing them, I can’t breathe when I have anything covering my nose and mouth and it often induces a panic attack.

yes, full PPE is a lot more uncomfortable to wear. And yet they manage!

@openplankitchen

There's a small chance I might have a contagious disease.... an even smaller chance you could catch it.... and if you did you might DIE. So I'll wear a face covering. Just. In. Case

What's the problem with wearing a face covering? It's not a hardship.

The issue is that you don't necessarily know if cases are rapidly rising in your local area, until it's too late. I know someone who has died from this - one of them in their late 30s with no known health conditions. And two family members of friends have died. Maybe you'd change your tune if it showed up on your doorstep.

@GoldenOmber nobody has previously kept 2m away from me. In fact no one seems to now.

Can you imagine if the same applies for any other contagious illness. TB. Meningitis. Flu.

No, I don't. I do feel uncomfortable seeing images of really distressed people who've been affected by Covid though. Not even thinking of hospital images - I can't face those. Thinking of elderly/care home resident people looking through the windows at their families - who still have no chance of being 'unlocked'. So the masks are to help protect those who are more at risk.
Feel sad and grateful when I see health worker staff in mask and visor too, and some pictures of their faces with the blisters on them when they can take them off. They must be pretty grateful they're actually in stock now though, unlike for most of April - again for both their own sakes and the chances of their patients.
Did you see the petri dish experiment by Rich Davis? Quite convincing to me (I'm on the spectrum too, by the way. Logic counts for a lot with me).

I hate them, I think they make people look creepy and they make me feel claustrophobic. But I understand the importance and will wear one when required to. I can't wait until they are no longer necessary.

Can you imagine if the same applies for any other contagious illness. TB. Meningitis. Flu.

It does! People got quite worked up over flu pandemics in the past. Wore masks, even. People do indeed take measures to stop the spread of TB where it's endemic.

You have really honestly never seen anyone sneeze into a tissue rather than in your face? "Catch it, bin it, kill it" you think started with Covid?

[quote openplankitchen]@GoldenOmber nobody has previously kept 2m away from me. In fact no one seems to now.

Can you imagine if the same applies for any other contagious illness. TB. Meningitis. Flu.

[/quote]
Yes I can imagine. I get terrible asthma for several weeks after a cold or flu and I have been known to wear a mask and keep some distance when I have to be around family members with a cold in an attempt to keep it away from me.

@GoldenOmber

No one in U.K. wears face coverings in the supermarket during flu season. Because they aren't constantly being terrified by the government and press

We all accept a certain risk in our lives. It's normal

I doubt anyone is suggesting you need to wear a mask to exercise alone.

I think WHO actively recommend against it.

But people on MN write things as below (poaching from recent threads):

I wear one everywhere, inside and out. Quite obviously the only parent on the school run wearing one at our school.

I'm in Spain. Everyone here is wearing them out and about

If they become mandatory I won’t be going out.

which implies they think "out" = anywhere and all places out of the home, not just some types of enclosed spaces, or that exercise is exempt.... I just realised, nobody is saying you have to mask up to exercise in the gym or in the pool... yet.

Risk compensation by mask wearers is being widely reported, too.

No one in U.K. wears face coverings in the supermarket during flu season.

Because seasonal flu does not shut down the whole of society! Surely you can appreciate that people do not want another lockdown?

It's just something we have to get used to.
It cuts transmission rates of a virus that has killed many thousands and will kill many more. The harder we can make things for the virus the better.
Wearing a mask is no hardship really.
There are exceptions for those that can't tolerate them but even very young children can and do wear them.

My 2 year old isn’t expected to wear one is he?

@Lissy23

My 2 year old isn’t expected to wear one is he?

Not in any of the places in the UK where they're mandatory, no. Children under 5 exempt.

I thought children under 11 exempt, very young children it is not advised?

The people who wore mask round here from the outset were 100% wearing them for themselves, hurling themselves into the supermarket shelves if anyone even looked at them - far too much of it was look at me, LOOK AT ME, virtue signalling for the uk. I don’t do drama. I just stay away from others.

I couldn’t understand the dentist fully when he saw us in his “full riot gear” as he called it.

I find people who wear masks tend NOT to observe SD as much as those who don’t.

Wearing is caring, just means they are a decent human being. I wish I saw more people in them

[quote openplankitchen]@GoldenOmber

No one in U.K. wears face coverings in the supermarket during flu season. Because they aren't constantly being terrified by the government and press

We all accept a certain risk in our lives. It's normal
[/quote]
50,000 people don't die in 3 months from seasonal flu though, seasonal flu doesn't risk overwhelming the health system, so it isn't quite the same.

The way I see it, wearing a mask is a very easy additional step I can take to reduce transmission - it has no negative impact on me and can have a positive effect for others so I see no reason not to do it.

It's not just you OP. I find it really creepy to see too. If they make them mandatory in shops I'll comply without complaint but it won't make it any les uncomfortable to see.

Not been any at nursery, really hoping the same is true at the start of Reception in September.

Someone on twitter today said he was old enough (as am I) to remember people saying seatbelts were dangerous, useless, an imposition on our freedom etc - all the things we are hearing about masks as the moment. And of course the smoking ban in pubs ....

But anyway OP, my main concern is that you get help for your anxiety and distress - even if you can't deal with wearing a mask yourself, lots of other people are going to be wearing them, and it would help you a lot if you could find the sight neutral at least, even, hopefully reassuring one day.

No I don't feel scared or anything negative. And the massive fuss around wearing them makes me think of a gang of teenagers who purposely make a fuss about absolutely everything out of their ordinary just because they like making a fuss and enjoy the drama of it all.

@MzHz

The people who wore mask round here from the outset were 100% wearing them for themselves, hurling themselves into the supermarket shelves if anyone even looked at them - far too much of it was look at me, LOOK AT ME, virtue signalling for the uk. I don’t do drama. I just stay away from others.

I couldn’t understand the dentist fully when he saw us in his “full riot gear” as he called it.

I find people who wear masks tend NOT to observe SD as much as those who don’t.

So you would prefer your dentist to be exposed to the risk of aerosols? (Almost certainly one of the most dangerous professions)

Glad he took precautions..

It doesn’t make me nervous at all but I’m sorry that it does make you nervous. That can’t be a great feeling.

We all have our own stresses and anxieties. I prefer to think kindly of those wearing masks as they are trying to protect me and my family. I also give non mask wearers the benefit of the doubt and assume they have a good reason not to wear them.

I hate them. Dehumanising and I can’t hear what people are saying. A good friend of mine who is deaf was upset today because she is dreading going out (over 70, has been staying at home ) and just hearing muffled sounds.

I’ve worn them when I have to but they make me feel claustrophobic. I won’t be flying anywhere or using public transport. If they become compulsory in shops I will keep my store shopping to an absolute miminum.

I’m not a huge fan of wearing them but it seems like a really small thing to do in the current circumstances.

It’s a little bit of irritation and discomfort for me, but if enough of us do it there’s a chance we cut transmission rates and prevalence drops enough that we can get back to normal - we can watch our kids’ football games, they can go to swimming lessons, businesses can be closer to normal, and crucially those who are more vulnerable than I am can get a bit closer to normal life.