We’ve all heard on the news the skyrocketing numbers of anxiety and depression in teen and young adults during COVID-19.
This group was hit hard with loneliness, fear, and confusion as their schools closed, they were separated from peers, their parents’ live were changed, and there was no idea who would get sick next. Therapists were booked solid with the rise of distress faced by this population. We all know COVID-19 has created a mental health pandemic.
What we aren’t talking about it what will happen when the world opens up – when schools are normal-ish, when sleepovers start happening again, and when hugs start being used as a greeting again. I don’t think the mental health issues will leave as quickly as they came in. Teens/young adults don’t all want to re-join the world. I am seeing tons of teens/young adults who like hiding behind the mask as it covers their face from being seen by their peers. The mask is seen as hiding acne, teeth, nose shapes, and even makes people feel that they don’t have to talk as frequently.
Many have used the mask as a security cloth.
It’s a fabric to cuddle up with and allows them to feel intentionally invisible in a world that they don’t feel safe or comfortable in. There are teens and young adults who have wanted to escape the public sphere for years, yet there was never an option that could materialize in one’s mind to afford this opportunity. Then came the pandemic. People learned they could live, learn, and work from home without the discomfort of peer pressure, judgement, or ridicule.
From my experiences as a psychologist during the pandemic, the teens/young adults who want to keep their masks are the ones struggling with low self-esteem and/or social anxiety. The mask is not only a physical cloth, but a metaphor to how they feel about themselves and how they feel about themselves in relation to the world.
Whether we like it or not, the masks are starting to come off.
And even if that teen/young adult decides to hold off on taking the mask off, eventually they will likely feel that social pressure to do so. For those who are struggling in this regard, it’s important to begin to find ways to manage the distress before they are fully thrown into the mask-less world.
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