Hygienic, Surgical, FFP1, FPP2, FPP3? Our language has been enriched with terms we would never like to use, but realities determine language and also have an obvious psychological impact. We are starting to see the world through a mask and, apparently, this element will be a regular addition to our lives for a while.
“We have to follow the Asian model,” some say. We must imitate the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans in the usual use of mask as a strategy to prevent contagion, for them, for a large part of this vast population, far from being an obligation or a new habit, is the result of behavior widely integrated into their culture.
- On the one hand.
- They consider it disrespectful to have a virus (such as a common cold) and infect others by sharing the same spaces.
- There are other relevant factors.
- Such as pollution of major Asian cities and the very fine dust particles that reach many cities in the Gobi Desert.
Covering your face with a mask is part of your daily life. On the other hand, in the West, is the word “mask”?is linked to panic, anxiety and contradictory statements from official sources that initially did not recommend its use for the general population, but which now warn that it will be a recurring and necessary element in the coming weeks.
The world doesn’t look the same through a mask. It’s uncomfortable, strange and inconsistent with our normality. In addition, this element did not happen alone; It comes with gloves, alcohol gel and, in some specific cases, even protective visors, objects that were not new to health professionals, but are now fundamental and urgent, because they act as a barrier that protects life.
For those who do not work in the health sector, made up of true heroes today, their reality has also changed in many ways, let’s face it, masks are the metaphor of the current pandemic, they are the icon that accompanies us today and that has completely changed our reality from the beginning. All of this has several psychological effects.
Doubts, concerns and concerns. It is the ailments of daily life that increase anxiety in many people, the fear of contracting coronavirus leads us to take protective measures that go beyond hand hygiene and social distance.
If one initially hesitated to use it, social pressure and constant seeing people with a covered face made it necessary to acquire them, however, the lack of stock in pharmacies and other places continues to increase anxiety, fear and obsession with acquiring them. .
On the other hand, the absence of this product on the market today leads us to manufacture it, but the use of homemade masks causes another anguish: we know that it is a very weak protective measure and therefore does not leave us fully protected. This is another anxiety trigger in some cases.
Seeing the world through a mask leaves a mark on our minds: the mark that everything has changed. Now, every time we leave the house, in addition to the mobile phone, wallet and keys, we wear a mask with us. it doesn’t matter if it’s hygienic, surgical or FPP3. Life is no longer the same; there’s a strange element that distorts it.
We know this will all be temporary. We assume that at some point, the virus that arrived unexpectedly will lose strength and that the mechanisms will seem to treat it and restore normality as much as possible.
However, having to include this element in our day-to-day life gives presence to the virus itself, makes it evident and reminds us that: are we protecting us?, an enemy.
This can have a different impact on the population, there are people who assume it normally. But, of course, there are also those who wear the mask with anxiety and anxiety, unable to get used to this change in habit.
In one of his interviews, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom expressed concern about the widespread use of medical masks by the general population, an almost desperate quest to obtain a fact from those who really need to do without them.
However, industries in all countries have started manufacturing them, in a short time we will be self-sufficient and it will be easy to buy them in pharmacies, however, there is something obvious that we cannot ignore: masks cannot prevent a pandemic. They don’t stop the virus completely, but they filter out our fear.
The world through a mask is strange, but the vast majority want it and need it to reduce discomfort and rely on another measure of protection.
In conclusion, we do not know the duration of the effects of the current pandemic, nor do we know whether the use of these protective functions will be temporary or whether we will have to get used to them at certain times and situations.
In any case, there is something undeniable: life changes at the least expected time, and you have to be prepared to adapt to new situations.