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Exposure Anxiety: How complex are your social masks?

Kit McDaydream

How complex are your social masks?  is it just you with a bit more (pretended) confidence to cope with a day at college or work?  or do you have complete alters that deal with particular things and are completely different to the 'real you', even though they're using your body to go to your college/workplace in? (so work colleagues etc would see the personality the alter portrayed as 'your personality')

Can you be 'you' in front of anyone at all or is your exposure anxiety so severe you can only be yourself in the house alone when no-one else is there? (other than pets maybe).

K

Parents

  • I'm definitely different at work than at home. My partner and family get to see the real me (and my close friends get to see most of me) :) Work's another story - people just wouldn't understand me if I acted like my true self. I'd say I'm still 'me' - just a filtered version. 

    I do find masking exhausting - I feel so tired at the end of the day. It's like I'm constantly holding a huge part of myself back.

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  • I'm definitely different at work than at home. My partner and family get to see the real me (and my close friends get to see most of me) :) Work's another story - people just wouldn't understand me if I acted like my true self. I'd say I'm still 'me' - just a filtered version. 

    I do find masking exhausting - I feel so tired at the end of the day. It's like I'm constantly holding a huge part of myself back.

Children
  • in reply to DuckBread

    I know what you mean.  I think I've learnt to just internalise everything, and keep quiet and appear normal.  I was told in my assessment I probably pass out when I get home due to masking so much and trying to act normal and fit in.  When I worked part time and had more down time I wasn't so bad, but being at work in a horrible office environment every day with an unfriendly team all day every day is exhausting.