If asked to describe my week in one word, I would have to use a word I am quickly becoming to hate:

SMOG

When you read the title of this post, your first thought may have been, oh, this is going to be a deeply insightful post about the invisible masks we wear.

It’s not.

This past week has been a long week of waking up every morning to a dirty brown sky covered in ash and PM 2.5 and dust. It’s been a long week of trying to do homework, stay healthy physically, mentally and emotionally, and balance 29 other things at the same time. It’s been a week of checking AQI levels and seeing numbers over 400.

But I am tired of talking about that. If you want to read more about the smog, go here.

I found that during this week, in order to stay sane, you need to take measures. That means wearing a protective mask where ever you go. It means staying in air conditioner as much as possible. It means not getting too active. It means drinking lots of water. It means intentionally doing things that keep you from getting depressed.

And it also means finding humor in the sm- (that bad word).

So, in doing that, I made a list of ten things that are benefits of wearing a mask (besides helping with pollution).

1. When you need to do things with people you feel awkward around and both of you are wearing a mask, it feels a bit less awkward.
2. When you are tired and meet someone and you want to smile but you don’t have the energy to, you can just squint your eyes at each other. They get what you mean.
3. You can talk to yourself and practice your dramatic presentation for next class while waiting at the stoplight without people thinking that you have gone totally crazy.
4. You can sing loudly on the way home on your motorbike without being scared of swallowing a mosquito.
5. Eating snacks is a pain because you have to take off your mask. Therefore you eat less snacks. Which saves on money.
6. You can stick out your tongue at people or make other expressive faces at them and they never know what you do. This gives high inner satisfaction
7. You can eat chocolate behind your mask and no one knows that you are eating chocolate.
8. Wearing a mask and protective sunglasses while driving a 110 cc motorbike can make you feel like you are driving one that is 500 cc. Formidable, powerful and competent. Even when you are feeling tired, helpless and incapable.
9. It creates a sense of being in a community. I am a mask wearer. You are too. We wear the mask.
10. And finally, the best part of wearing a mask is taking it off!!