ontheedgeofeverything

The notion of masking is a prevalent concept in the mental health world, although it does relate more to ADHD or ADD in comparison to other diagnoses, from what I have read (and I am not an expert).

Masking involves changing ourselves physically, emotionally, and psychologically to best suit our surroundings. I suppose an easier way of describing it would be to reference a chameleon; if you’re a masker, you have an adept ability to read your surroundings and blend in with them as seamlessly as possible.

I never knew what masking was until I read a little about it, and furthermore, I had no clue that I occasionally mask depending on the people I am with; I do think, however, that we all engage in masking a little bit here and there in the context of social situations. To provide you with an example, I like to swear a lot. When I am with my immediate family and close friends, I let the cuss words fly; when I am with my grandmother, however, I restrain myself and ‘mask’ my tendency to drop f-bombs whenever tempted.

There is some speculation that masking is not a beneficial practice, and while I can understand this perception, depending on how severe someone’s masking may be, I don’t personally consider it to be all that terrible. If anything, I believe the ability to mask an indication of strong intuition; I have zero scientific evidence to support this claim, and this post is simply my own personal opinion. But, I can’t help but admire people who are able to morph themselves to ensure they’re as comfortable in whatever situation possible, and I am inclined to think there are more pros than cons to masking, but I could certainly be incorrect.

What are your thoughts? Do you find yourself masking in specific environments?

Photo by Viktor Keri on Unsplash