Mask anxiety, face coverings and mental health

The subject of face coverings has become a big part of life – from questions of when, where and whether you should wear them, to their effects on wearers and those around them.

Official rules change, and so do people’s expectations. And we can never tell what somebody else’s situation is: from being exempt from wearing a mask for mental or physical health reasons, to being vulnerable and needing you to take extra precautions. In uncertain times and when tensions are high, all the complications around masks can be an extra source of anxiety.

Whatever your views, this article has advice on navigating the worries around them. It includes:

• negotiating behaviours and agreements with others,
• mitigating the effects of masks – on your glasses, on your skin, and more
• reducing, and distracting yourself from, anxiety that might come from wearing or not wearing a mask, or seeing others wearing or not wearing one,
• and lots more tips.