Can Low Self-Esteem Lead to Face Mask Addictions?

Face masks are said to be effective for the following:

1. Protection from virus, pollen, and dust
2. Protection and prevention from oral and nasal fluid droplets spreading
3. Keeps the skin moist and facial insecurities hidden
4. A tool to hide yourself

As COVID-19 has become a global widespread phenomenon, the understanding of 1. and 2. have also become common. As for women, the benefits of 3. allows them to stay make-up-free underneath and some people even appreciate how the mask partially protects them from harmful UV rays.

People prone to face mask addiction tend to use masks as a way to hide. Research in Asia has shown that the lower the self-esteem, the more likely a person is to wear a mask for no reason. When a person has low confidence, they feel more intimidated to communicate with others and a mask allows these types of people to feel more safe and secure.

Face Masks: A Defense and Statement

There are 2 reasons why a person would feel the need to wear a face mask in unnecessary situations.

・Mask as a Self-Defense

Masks work as a self-defense mechanism as it hides facial insecurities and helps avoid conversations. It’s a natural psychological defense to protect ourselves from external stimulations.

Smartphones and the internet have allowed us to communicate without seeing anyone face to face. Some jobs don’t require any in-person tasks, and this has led some people to believe that in-person communication is unnecessary or unfavorable. Facial masks have most likely contributed to exaggerating this consensus. It’s an introverted conscious choice to avoid showing our faces.

When our confidence is low, we become overly sensitive about how people perceive us. A mask can psychologically help us hide away from others noticing us.

・Mask to Make a Good Impression

There are people who think that masks make them look good and feel more confident. As a recent trend, masks have been incorporated into fashion with various designs and customizations.

However, studies show that deep down inside, people who wear masks are attracted to the fact that they could hide their expressions and feelings underneath, making them feel safer ​internally. For introverts, the capability to hide anxiety and nervousness makes them feel secure.

The brain is believed to have visual interpolation capabilities. This is when spatial and temporal factors are processed in a way to complete partial and illusory contours.

In real life, this is when we see something hidden but imagine it as if we could see it, using past knowledge and present information available. Some people who are insecure about how they look are hoping that visual interpolation will play into a fact where people automatically perceive their hidden face parts positively.

How to Overcome Face Mask Addiction

As you can see, masks that hide our faces can be used as self-defense and make people believe that they look better with it. Especially for people who have social anxiety, a mask alleviates their anxiety of communicating and socializing with others.

However, these psychological factors can lead to people unnecessarily depending on it to a point where it develops into a mask addiction.

Learn How To Feel Safe

Unnecessary masking or people who mentally rely on masks are dependent on it because it covers their physical flaws and makes them feel more secure.

For mask dependents, the following measures are necessary:

• ・Learn healthy ways to take feedback from others
• ・Understand that not wearing a mask won’t result in terrible outcomes
• ・Understand that masks are not determining factors that bring negative judgments

Studies conclude that gathering with a group of friends that hold similar hobbies can be effective in improving our mental wellbeing.

One-on-one relationships can be tricky at times, but being part of a “community” creates a sense of security where people feel protected in a group. Once a person feels accepted and safe in a group, they can slowly venture out into expressing their own feelings and talent where their “individuality” shines.

A community or group is also helpful for people to learn how to be helped and at the same time help others. It’s an opportunity to empathize, accept, and encourage each other as everyone aims towards a common goal together. Once all of these things are established within a community, a person will feel free from loneliness or negativity enough to graduate from a mask addiction.

Have Confidence and Don’t Care What Others Think

With the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have become dependant on masks, wearing them for long hours at a time. However, the longer we keep masks on, the more we risk psychological aspects start playing into effect. Excessive masking can increase the number of patients who fall into face mask addiction.

True safety and happiness won’t come from hiding behind a mask. A true sense of security and happiness comes from understanding ourselves, accepting, and opening the door to our hearts.

An objective self-reflection is key in understanding yourself, but objectivity is difficult when it comes to ourselves. Recently, there has been an AI (artificial intelligence) counseling app developed specifically to help a person’s mental well-being by providing objective perspectives and advice.

If the issues you face are hard to share with people in real life, an AI can hear you without any restrictions on time schedule, or location. It’s an affordable alternative counseling method with a free trial period. Give it a try!
→SELF MIND

Reference：

Shimura, K., & Tanaka, H. (2017). Pilot study on classifying behavior for wearing surgical masks – Behaviors for dealing with social anxiety and Safety Behavior -. Bulletin of Clinical Psychology, Tokyo Seitoku University, 17, 27–34. https://www.tsu.ac.jp/Portals/0/site-img/gra/2018/kiyou17/shimura,tanaka.pdf

Watanabe, N. (2018). Face Mask Addiction. Stress Science Research, 33, 15–20. https://doi.org/10.5058/stresskagakukenkyu.2018006

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“Trust other people.” “Have belief in yourself.” “Believe it will be okay.”
It’s easier said than done. Humans cannot survive alone, and we all naturally yearn for social connections. We also cannot live without subconsciously believing in something, and it’s perhaps this subconscious desire that forms the basis of our trust in other humans. In fact, the act of “believing” plays a significant role in mental health. Both the act of belief in others, as well as belief in yourself (self-efficacy) are important to the longterm wellbeing of your personal mental health, as well as the health of your interpersonal relationships. In this article, we will explore the aspects of belief and trust within clinical practices.

Trust and Belief Between Doctors and Patients

For example, when we get sick, we visit our doctor or hospital. The patient needs to trust that the doctor would do their best to treat them. The same goes for the doctor – the doctor gathers the patient’s self-account, and they must trust and believe it to be accurate. The doctors will then use this information to treat the patients appropriately and accordingly. It’s important to note here that the person treating you must be value-neutral. In clinical practice, this means keeping religious or personal ideology out of the practice while pointing out symptoms and conditions from neutral perspectives. Without this prerequisite, the trust between the doctor and patient may be easily broken.

Trust requires courage. Trust creates a connection and makes us more open to one another, but it can also make us more vulnerable. This sense of vulnerability can also trigger our self-defending mechanisms within, creating a conflict where we want to trust but can’t. In a way, trust and distrust always come into play as a fine balance. Trusting in others may not be easy, but if you believe it will be okay, then things will naturally fall into place.

Self-Efficacy is Key to a Healthy Mind

Let’s change our perspective a little bit. Athletes are known for their visualization training, which is a type of mental training aimed to improve concentration, retain physical skills, and overcome trauma – all of which are important aspects in improving and maintaining one’s self-efficacy. Soccer player Lionel Messi would run on the treadmill while watching footage of his own goals. When golfer Tiger Woods feels like he’s losing focus before a shot, he sits down, closes his eyes, and envisions a good shot. It’s scientifically proven that these mental training can lead to higher self-efficacy, and subsequently, improved records. Athletes visualize their success, and believe it into reality. We can also decrease potential disturbing psychological interferences through breathing exercises and positive thinking.

When we are completely immersed in our activities, our anxieties and tension reduce. This makes total immersion an effective psychological technique for calming down. People who can practice mental training with high levels of concentration are likely to be more imaginative. Furthermore, they are likely to possess a greater ability to have belief in themselves. In other words, these types of individuals tend to have higher self-efficacy, which actually directly impacts your capabilities and skills. Believe it to be true, and it will come into fruition. We can say that immersion is one of many ways to deal with our mental health challenges. This really goes to show what belief and trust can do for you.

Expose Yourself Through Open Belief

As mentioned earlier, trust implies opening our hearts up to others. This also requires us to be vulnerable. It’s not an easy task to trust in someone completely, even if it’s someone you like or rely on, due to fears of betrayal, embarrassment, or pain. Let your walls down, stay open, and accept things as they are. Accept others’ intentions, and believe it to be genuine. You may feel a resistance to this idea, and there will always be fears about what would happen if you were to get hurt. However, only those who can overcome these fears can make great strides towards improving their mental health. Only when we have belief in ourselves and trust others, can we build relationships based on trust and belief.

Simply saying “believe it” or “have belief in yourself” sounds easy in theory, yet difficult in practice. Do you have the courage to harness the power of your belief?

→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELFMIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

References:
Iida, T. (2016). The Effectiveness of Mental Training Based on an Understanding of the Psychological State of the Athlete. Iwate University Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, 25, 39~51. doi: 10.15113/00014452

Kumakura, N. (2008). A Study of “Believing” in Clinical Practice: Thoughts on Kenro Doi’s article, “Psychotherapy and Belief”. The Japanese Journal of Mental Health, 23(2), 49-60. doi: 10.11383/kokoronokenkou1986.23.2_49

Sekizawa, Y., Goto, Y., So, M., Noguchi, R., & Shimizu, E. (2016). Future Predictions on Income and Livelihoods and Their Relationship to Well-being/mental health: An Examination Using Questions From the Consumer Confidence Index. RIETI Discussion Paper Series 16-J-052. Retrieved from: https://www.rieti.go.jp/jp/publications/dp/16j052.pdf

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Express Yourself Through Assertiveness Training

How can we learn to be more assertive? Sure, Assertiveness Training can help eliminate our uneasy feelings towards being assertive while increasing our self-esteem. But first, what exactly is “assertiveness”?
Borrowing from a study on assertiveness training, it’s defined as the following:

It’s about, “valuing one’s feelings and expressing one’s thoughts honestly and openly in an appropriate way,” while “communicating in a mutually respectful manner”.

Reference: The Effectiveness of Assertion Training on Self-Promotional Difficulties – Incorporating Workshops to Talk About “Your Preferences”

In other words, it’s about properly expressing our feelings and opinions. People who are not used to being assertive tend to feel uneasy or resistant when they have to be assertive in certain situations. However, in a society expected to become more and more focused on the abilities of individuals, assertiveness is an indispensable skill.

Not the Same as Being Pushy

Does assertiveness mean that we say what we want to say? Not quite. The key is to value our opinions, but at the same time accept and respect the other’s opinion as much as your own. For example, when there’s a disagreement with someone, imposing your side of the argument on the other or compromising to avoid arguments will not result in a constructive discussion. The goal in assertiveness training should be for both parties to accept each other’s opinions without fear of disagreement, thus arriving at a third answer.

Easy Assertiveness Training: Speak Your Preferences

Now, what exactly does Assertiveness Training look like in action? An easy and low-resistance method is practicing to talk about one’s “preferences”. This has shown to reduce difficulty with assertiveness.

In an experiment with job-hunting college students, a workshop was held once a week for five weeks, where participants were encouraged to talk about their own preferences (anything from the food they like, hobbies, activities, dislikes, etc.). Through this workshop, their difficulty with self-assertion improved compared to before the experiment.

Throughout this workshop, participants trained to express themselves by sharing their preferences. In addition, participants were encouraged to listen and accept the opinions of others while they shared their preferences. This resulted in participants feeling comfortable to “say whatever they wanted”, thus alleviated their discomfort with self-assertion.

If the subject matter of the training is centered around an issue within an institution or a social theme, we’re likely to feel more pressured to make meaningful participation in the discussion. But what if the theme was “personal preferences?” We can talk about our interests without thinking too hard, so it’s easier to feel relaxed and express who you really are.

A Lack of Confidence is Not a Personal Issue

This article introduced the Assertiveness Training method of “sharing our preferences”. One thing to remember when implementing this training is that “assertion” assumes equal respect for your opinion and the opinions of others.

A lack of assertiveness or self-confidence can be seen as a personal issue. Oftentimes an individual is told, “you should speak up more,” or “why don’t you share your opinions?” But first, it is important to create a place in the group where the individual feels safe and secure, and where they can be accepted no matter what they say.

On the other hand, voicing our preferences is relatively easy to do, even when practiced alone. It’s helpful to talk to friends and family about each other’s likes and dislikes. Be careful not to get too caught up in talking about ourselves while neglecting listening to others. If you’re not comfortable with that, try using social networking sites to communicate your preferences first. It’s not the same as talking in person, but if you want to get used to expressing yourself in your own way, social networking sites may be a good place to start practicing.

→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image：Unsplash
Reference:
Kuboyama, A., & Yoshioka, K. (2015). The Effectiveness of Assertion Training on Self-Promotional Difficulties – Incorporating Workshops to Talk About “Your Preferences”. Fukuoka Prefecture University Journal of Clinical Psychology, (7), 21-30.

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