Mask Off: The Cost of Wearing Faces That Aren’t Ours

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from not just living life, but performing it.

Waking up and slipping on the “acceptable” version of yourself.

Tucking away your slang, your hair, your laughter, your anger, your softness—because the world has taught you that the raw version of you is “too much.”

Mask on.

It shows up in the office, where a co-worker can say something harmful, and you smile instead of snapping.

It shows up at the family gathering, where you don’t talk about therapy, parenting, or the grind because everyone wants you to be “the strong one.”

It shows up in dating, where you play easy-breezy because someone see your standards and call it “difficult.” For fuks sake. 

We’ve been rehearsing for acceptance so long that authenticity feels like rebellion.

But here’s the truth: the masks don’t actually protect us. They slowly smother us.

They leave us second-guessing ourselves at night. They keep us from relationships that could be real. They drain our energy before the day even begins.

Taking the mask off doesn’t mean you’ll be embraced everywhere. In fact, sometimes it makes people deeply uncomfortable. But that’s not your burden to carry. The real burden is betraying yourself just to soothe other people.

So this week, I invite you to check in:

• When do you feel yourself reaching for the mask?

• Who around you actually deserves the unfiltered version of you?

• And what small act can you do today that feels like rebellion—but is actually freedom?

Because one thing I know for sure: assimilation is overrated. Wholeness is your birthright. 

Mask off.