We’re All Masking, Even If We Don’t Realize It

By Lady Flava 🌻

We all wear masks.

Not the ones made of fabric or for costume parties—but the quiet, invisible kind.

The ones we put on without thinking, the ones we’ve worn for so long, they feel like part of us.

The ones we wear to be liked, to be accepted, to be safe.

You may not call it masking.

You may not even notice when you do it.

But by the time you hit the end of the day—or the week—you feel it.

That tired that doesn’t go away with sleep.

That sense that you’ve been holding your breath all day.

Because you have.

Masking looks different for everyone.

It might look like:

Smiling when you feel like crying. Shrinking your joy so others aren’t uncomfortable. Holding your tongue to avoid conflict. Being the strong one, even when you feel fragile. Laughing at things that don’t feel funny. Saying, “I’m fine,” when your soul is screaming for rest.

We’ve learned to do this in relationships, in public spaces, with family, in friendships—even with ourselves.

And often, we don’t realize how often we perform.

How often we hide.

How often we deny our truth in service of being “okay” for others.

But masking is exhausting.

It’s not weakness—it’s survival.

It’s doing what you think you need to do to feel safe, loved, accepted, or simply to avoid judgment.

And it’s not bad or wrong.

It just costs something.

That’s why so many of us collapse at the end of the day or week—not because we did too much physically, but because we carried too much emotionally.

What if we started to notice our masks?

Not to shame ourselves…

But to recognize them.

To understand them.

And, maybe, little by little… to set them down.

Because you deserve to be your full self.

Not just the edited, acceptable, polished version—

But the real, raw, beautiful you underneath.

Closing Affirmation:

“I give myself permission to take off the masks I no longer need. My truth is safe with me.” 🌻