55KRC: Tips to manage mask-related anxiety

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, so too does the recommendations or requirements to wear a face mask in public settings.

Erica Birkley, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, said ensuring that we have masks, that they are worn properly and that others around us are masking correctly can add one more thing out of our control that can lead to anxiety.

To combat this anxiety, Birkley recommends taking safe mask breaks where available and to remind others around us that we have the same goal of keeping each other as safe as possible.

Listen to the full report. (Note: Interview begins around the 18:19 mark.)

Read more on how to manage mask anxiety.

Featured image of masks at top courtesy of Unsplash.