Masks We Wear
October 28, 2025
How costumes, characters, and identities shape how we show up in the world
🌒 A Season of Shadows and Symbols
October 31st is recognized around the world in many different ways—from costumes and candy to solemn rituals and spiritual observances. Its roots trace back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which honored the transition between seasons and the thinning veil between the living and the dead. Later, Christian influences shaped it into All Hallows’ Eve, a prelude to All Saints’ Day.
It’s also important to note:
Not everyone celebrates Halloween.
For some, the day conflicts with their faith or cultural beliefs. For others, it evokes historical trauma, commercial excess, or simply doesn’t resonate. We hold space for all of it.
Still, across cultures and centuries, one powerful symbol remains consistent:
The Mask.
🌍 Masks Around the World
Long before Halloween became mainstream, masks held cultural and spiritual significance across continents.
🗿 In many Indigenous cultures, masks were (and still are) used in ceremonies to ward off evil spirits, honor ancestors, or embody sacred beings.
🪘 In West African traditions, masked dances are a way to channel spiritual forces, mediate conflict, or mark rites of passage.
🧧 In East Asian festivals, masks may represent gods, demons, animals, or mythical heroes—symbolizing protection, celebration, or transformation.
Masks can be sacred.
Masks can be storytelling.
Masks can be play.
🎭 Masks as Meaning
Whether literal or metaphorical, masks are part of being human.
Some we put on for fun:
🦸♀️ Dressing up like a superhero
🎨 Playing with makeup and wigs
🎭 Performing characters on stage or screen
Some help us cope:
🧠 Navigating a neurotypical world as a neurodivergent brain
🧊 Managing anxiety or trauma responses
🧍🏽♀️ Blending in to avoid judgment or harm
And some are deeply protective:
🛡️ Hiding vulnerability
⚠️ Shielding from social exclusion
👁️ Keeping parts of ourselves safe from rejection or violence
Masking is not good or bad—it’s context.
It can be:
Neutral – a tool for imagination or art
Adaptive – a strategy for safety or functioning
Maladaptive – when it becomes exhausting, disconnecting, or self-erasing
All of the above
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) reminds us:
All behavior makes sense in context.
The key is to ask: Is this helping me move toward my values—or away from them?
🧠 What the Research Tells Us
Studies from autistic and neurodivergent communities have shown that chronic masking (or camouflaging) can lead to emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and identity confusion.
“High levels of social camouflaging are associated with increased stress, depression, and emotional burnout.”
But many people—neurodivergent or not—have internalized the belief that they must hide parts of themselves to be accepted. That smiling face in a work meeting? That “I’m fine” when you're not? Those are masks too.
“When we learn to take off the mask safely, we begin to reclaim who we are underneath.”
🔍 Try This
This Halloween, when the costumes come off, ask yourself:
What roles or versions of me do I show most often?
What parts of me feel hidden or quiet?
Is there one place I could be more authentic—even a little?
You are allowed to be complex, contradictory, creative, and whole.
Whether you wear a mask to survive, perform, or explore—check in:
Is this still working for me?
Resources for the curious
📘 Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women – Sarah Bargiela
📘 Unmasking Autism – Dr. Devon Price
🎧 The Hilarious World of Depression – Honest, humorous stories from people who mask their pain through performance
🎧 Unmasking Autism Podcast – Stories and strategies for reclaiming authenticity, especially for neurodivergent folks
🧪Cage, E., & Troxell-Whitman, Z. (2019). Understanding the reasons, contexts and costs of camouflaging for autistic adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(5), 1899–1911. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-03878-x
🧪Bradley, L., Shaw, R., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2021). Autistic adults' experiences of camouflaging and its perceived impact on mental health. Autism in Adulthood, 3(4), 344–354. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0071
📝 Download: Unmasking – A Self-Reflection Journal Page
A gentle ACT-based prompt to explore the roles, masks, and identities you carry.