I’ll be the first to admit that the pandemic has gotten into my head. And I’m not just talking about changing the way I grocery shop or being nervous about going to the movies. There’s something about living through history that has altered the way that I think. My best example comes in the form of answering the question, “What are mask moments?”
What Are Mask Moments?
Mask moments are when an individual finds themselves projecting their reality (specifically regarding the pandemic) onto a situation that the pandemic doesn’t pertain to. My mask moments often occurred most often while watching TV or movies. However, I found that it could happen with nearly any form of media, when I was daydreaming, or when someone else was telling a story. My boyfriend and I have taken to calling out mask moments simply by naming them when we have them. It’s a small way to let the other know what’s going through our minds and that we’re not alone in that experience.
Here’s what it would look like when I would watch a movie that entirely pre-dated the pandemic. I would find myself wondering the following
- Where is that person’s mask?
- Why are they hugging each other?
- How are they traveling there?
- How is there such a big group of people in one place?
- Would that fit X, Y, or Z health guidelines?
All my thinking was altered by my current reality. My mind was consumed by how the pandemic requires us to operate, and I applied that thinking at every opportunity.
How Often Do We Do This in Daily Life?
How often do we project our reality from something we experience? Probably so often that we don’t even realize it. In fact, the only reason that it even remotely caught my attention was that it had to do with something new. The pandemic drastically changed everyone’s reality…not just my own. I wasn’t the only one wearing masks or staying six feet apart from everyone else. Everyone was advised to do so. I see this global mandate as something much more impactful and memorable than any new opinion I form that only applies to me.
That said, I believe that I’m guilty of taking whatever perspective I’ve adopted at that time and applying it to my life. I just may not be as conscious of it as my mask moments.
Final Thoughts
Mask moments are nothing serious to me. I think they’ll fade over time, and I’ll eventually have fewer and fewer. However, as cases fall and the vaccine allows us to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I see them as small ways I’m influenced by the world around me.