Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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Eye Contact

arfie
arfie

I be among the folks who believe the eyes are the window to the soul. I trust eye contact more completely than I trust any words in any language. The mask phobia which surfaced back in March has prevented me from making eye contact for quite a few months now and I do feel deprived for the loss. I can't even look at a mask without enduring medical trauma flashbacks, much less get to the eyes above the mask.


I'm curious. . . Does anybody make eye contact while they are masked and speaking to another mask?


Background


Two of my foster charges have a masked and socially distanced "Meet the Teacher Night" tomorrow night. It will be the first public event I have attended since Corona crowned and I am scared shitless. I am not afraid of The Virus but the social instability is whelming. Where is my "Social Distancing For Dummies" book?

Thor2008
Thor2008
With the mask on we humans are missing most of our social interaction cues. I think everyone looks mean and aggressive behind the masks. I feel closed off from people.

I’m with you on your concerns and fears.
malibumark
malibumark
it is a weird dynamic...it's like an abbreviated interaction.
carlyj1202
carlyj1202
It is a weird dynamic. I often wave and say I am smiling to you when they give a nod or anything we have to do these days. What is sad to me is when I am going down the isles is that people seem to be so afraid of being anywhere near. Fine by me.....but it is sad.
Italianmomma4ever
Italianmomma4ever
It's depressing. The whole world is just so unsettled. And don't know when it's gonna get any better. That's sad. The masks just look so weird to me. It's not normal in the real world. Praying for things to get better so we can see those smiling faces again.
arfie
arfie
Thank you guys. It helps to know I'm not the only one who is thoroughly weirded out by these bizarre social evolutions. The social instability **out there** is far more frightening to me than any virus. Here we are at the start of this year's flu season and I am having nightmares about the social germaphobia escalating to it's next level. Will we be required to wear biohazard suits for the escalated go-rounds?

12 more hours until it is time to "Meet The Teacher." Socially distanced swim lessons were traumatic enough that faith in socially distanced Pre-K and 2nd grade is proving hard to come by.

My instinct remains to maintain our current social isolation until the Corona madness runs its course, whatever that may be. Reading, writing and arithmetic will just have to wait until the germaphobes feel safe enough to get up off their marshal laws.
Community LeaderMid
Mid
I like the eyes.

Best wishes with the meet the teacher.
Sunshinegirl0228
Sunshinegirl0228
I work in healthcare and have to wear a mask for my 8 hour shift. Eye contact is the best way I have found to make a connection with my residents. I still smile at everyone and I hope my smile shows in my eyes. For that reason alone, I hate the mask. I smile a lot and at nearly everyone I pass or meet and the mask takes that away from me.
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