A common comment related to my blog on mask-wearing was that people missed seeing other people’s smiles. It’s understandable that we feel this way. For example, when someone smiles at us, we smile back. Now, with the need to wear a mask, others can’t see our smile and we can’t see theirs. Perhaps without the prompt of seeing others’ smiles, we may be smiling less, which may have the effect of compounding a negative mood.

For months now, I have been wearing a mask when I cannot socially distance. And, I have worn it enough now to start to notice things about myself and others. If you are an observer of human behavior as I am, this highly unusual phenomenon offers an abundance of opportunities to gain insights. Here are some of mine.

Over the past few months, many of us have enjoyed a lot of benefits of being at home with our loved ones. Many of us had the opportunity to do things together that we haven’t had time to do before. All this extra time together was a welcome change. But now, as time goes on, all of this togetherness is resulting in many of us experiencing something I call closeness fatigue. So, what can we do about it?

I’m no domestic goddess. Because of that, there’s usually a long list of things I would rather not do around the house. But recently, I’ve noticed that I have a newfound urge to clean and organize. Perhaps it is a welcome break from everything that is going on. Or, maybe it is the appeal of getting something completely done and the satisfaction that comes with that. But I think the primary reason is that I have incorporated these routine tasks into my daily mindfulness practice.