I feel anxious & paiseh to remove my face mask around (new) people. Am I the only one feeling this way?
I have always felt inferior with my looks. I’m below average-average looking. I have been bullied for being ugly and quiet when I was in secondary school.
In university, I was being teased by some guys for not being chio compared to the other chio girls. I grew up avoiding social interactions and thinking lowly and negatively about myself.
From 2020 (when masks were mandated), I have not met any new people. I hang out around the same classmates/friends. They already know how I look like before 2020.
This year, I had an internship so I had to meet new people. I feel very anxious and uncomfortable about removing my mask in office. We eat/drink at our desks but we can see one another’s faces from where we are (open concept kind of layout).
I feel very paiseh to remove my mask because I’m afraid that they think I’m uglier than expected (when we see someone with mask, we kind of picture or have an expectation of how they actually look like). And I agree that I look better with my mask on.
How do I overcome the anxiety about removing my mask especially when meeting new people? Am I the only one feeling this way?