Halloween is not the only time we wear a mask

Its Halloween, and many of us will be dressed in costumes and masks, playing a role; from scary skeleton to wicked witch.

But for many of us we wear masks every day of our lives.  Not to scare people, but to be able to cope with our daily lives.  We all wear these masks so that we can play certain roles; whether its the conscientious child, the doting partner, the stern parent, the efficient employee, or the compassionate boss.

However for some of us we may feel we can never take these masks off; we feel that we always have to play a role, and to appear a certain way – even if that is not who we really are.

But we also hide ur fears behind these masks.  Pretending to be someone or something other than who we really are means that we can hide our vulnerabilities from those around us.

Sometimes we become so connected to our masks we are now scared to take them off;  and to show people who we really are.  Some of us may have worn a mask for so long that we don’t even know who we are under it any more, or even why we wear it –  and that can feel uncomfortable, and scary.

But those masks stop us from being accepted for who we are. If we find we cannot take that mask off it suggests we are in a situation that is not healthy for us, because we cannot be who we truly are – our real selves.

If you feel that you are always wearing a mask, or playing a role, then counselling can help.  Counselling can help you understand why you wear the masks that you wear, and to help you develop the confidence to take off that mask, and to show the real you to others – and for you to be accepted for who you truly are.

If you want the help and support to take off that mask, please use the contact details on this page to arrange a counselling session with me.

Happy Halloween everyone.

 

Written by Derek Lovell of New Thinking Therapy.