The Masks We Wear: Navigating Chronic Illness in Social Contexts
You know how to look fine when you're falling apart. But what's that composure really costing you?
Saturday, January 3rd, 2025
12:00 pm-1:00 pm EST / 10-11:00 am MT
About This Workshop
Let's be honest about something: You've gotten really good at performing "wellness" in social situations. You downplay your pain at family gatherings. You push through work meetings even when your body is begging for rest. You match everyone else's energy at dinner parties while internally calculating how many days it'll take to recover. You smile and nod when people say "but you don't look sick."
These aren't character strengths—they're survival strategies. And they're exhausting.
Here's what nobody talks about: masking isn't just about hiding symptoms. It's about the composed professional who stays calm during crisis medical appointments. The over-functioner who takes on too many roles to prove their worth. The peacekeeper who manages everyone else's discomfort with their illness. The energy matcher who pretends chaos is fine. The dissociated one who checks out to get through overwhelming situations. The guilty one who pushes through unsafe limits to avoid disappointing people. The self-reliant one who won't ask for help even when support is available.
You developed these masks for good reasons. They helped you navigate a world that wasn't built for chronically ill bodies. They helped you maintain safety in medical settings, manage social expectations, protect yourself from invalidation. But somewhere along the way, you stopped noticing when you were wearing them—and what they were costing you.
What if you could make conscious choices about when masking protects you versus when it's causing additional harm?
Join Taylor Pastor, APC and Destiny Davis, LPC, CRC for an honest conversation about the emotional and behavioral protection strategies we use to navigate chronic illness in social contexts—and how to recognize when those strategies are helping versus hurting.
Location: Zoom
What We'll Cover:
Understanding Masks Explore what masking really means beyond "looking healthy." Discover why masks developed as protective strategies for navigating medical systems, social expectations, and environments that feel hostile to chronically ill bodies.
The Seven Archetypes Identify which masks you wear most often:
The Composed Professional: Staying calm and measured even in crisis
The Over-Functioner: Overextending to keep up with what you "should" be doing
The Peacekeeper: Managing others' invalidation and avoiding conflict
The Energy Matcher: Pretending chaos and high-energy environments are fine
The Dissociated One: Being physically present but mentally absent
The Guilty One: Pushing through unsafe limits to avoid disappointing people
The Self-Reliant One: Avoiding asking for help at all costs
Recognizing the Cost Learn to assess when a mask is protecting you versus when it's creating additional harm. Understand the physical, emotional, and relational costs of chronic masking—from post-exertional malaise to relationships based on performance rather than authentic connection.
The Four-Step Framework Build practical skills for working with your masks:
Notice Without Judgment: Recognize which masks you wear and when
Assess the Cost: Determine if the mask is helping or hurting in each context
Experiment With Loosening: Choose ONE mask in ONE context to loosen slightly
Build Support for Authenticity: Identify recovery zones where you can practice being less masked
Practical Tools Walk away with concrete strategies including nervous system regulation practices, communication scripts for setting boundaries, and self-compassion approaches for moments when masking feels necessary.
This Workshop Is For You If:
You're exhausted from performing "wellness" in social situations
You're wondering why you feel more drained after gatherings with people who "should" be supportive
You're tired of relationships where you can't be honest about your actual capacity
You want to stop choosing between authenticity and acceptance
You're ready to experiment with letting people see you more fully
You need permission to protect your energy without guilt
You're curious about which masks you've been wearing without realizing it
About Taylor:
Taylor Pastor, APC is a therapist at Hopeology Wellness who specializes in helping individuals and couples heal from complex trauma and rebuild a sense of safety in their relationships and within themselves. She centers her practice on supporting those living with chronic illness, chronic pain, and medical trauma, recognizing both the emotional weight and the day-to-day challenges that accompany these experiences.
By integrating somatic therapy with attachment-based approaches, Taylor guides clients in bridging the gap between intellectual understanding and embodied healing. Her style invites clients to feel empowered and more connected to their bodies, grounded in the belief that we carry what our minds weren't able to process at the time.
Taylor creates a compassionate, non-judgmental space where stories are honored and safety is created—helping people move toward greater connection, resilience, and belonging.
Learn more about Taylor's work at Hopeology Wellness.
What's Included:
Recorded workshop with Taylor Pastor, APC, & Destiny Davis, LPC, CRC, and host of The Chronic Illness Therapists Podcast
Permission Slip Included: You know you and your child better than anyone.
Replay available for 90 Days
We don’t believe in exclusivity or false strategies to make you buy a workshop (like “limited spots” blah blah). All are welcome. Please join us and invite your friends and loved ones!
Cost $27 USD
*NEED A FREE TICKET?
We offer a pay-what-you-can honor system pricing. If you have the means to support our work, please do.
Discount codes: WORKSHOP50 for 50% off | WORKSHOP75 for 75% off | WORKSHOPFREE for free
If you're part of our Chronically Well While Mentally Ill Community, you don't need to sign up - this workshop comes free with your membership.
Email destiny@destinywinters.com if you have any issues!
Accessibility Notes:
Live captions provided
Workshop recordings include transcripts
FAQs:
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Taylor Pastor, APC is an Associate Professional Counselor specializing in complex trauma, attachment-based approaches, somatic therapy, chronic illness, chronic pain, and medical trauma.
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No, this workshop is not therapy or a prescription of any kind. While Taylor and Destiny are both licensed and certified professionals, this educational webinar is designed to provide practical information about navigating chronic illness in social contexts. It offers general information to support your wellbeing, but it is not a substitute for personalized mental health treatment or medical care. If you're seeking therapy or individual support, we're happy to connect you with referral resources.
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Just bring something to take notes with :) No equipment is needed for this workshop!
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Yes! The recording will be available for 90 days after the workshop, unless you're in the Welcome To The Waiting Room monthly membership, in which case you can access the recording for as long as you're a member.
Please consider your privacy comfort levels when attending. While we love authentic and genuine engagement/conversation with participants, we want you to feel respected. Feel free to turn your cameras off and change your name before entering. This recording will be available to the public and for sale in the future.
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The workshop runs for 60 minutes. We encourage you to take as many breaks as you need or to listen while doing another task. We honor your need to step away when needed.
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While this workshop was designed with chronic illness in mind, the concepts apply to anyone who feels pressure to mask their authentic experience in social situations, has learned to perform "wellness" or capability to gain acceptance, wants to understand the cost of chronic people-pleasing, or is seeking more authentic connections in their relationships.
Questions?
See our FAQs with more info here!
We're here to help make this experience accessible and valuable for you. Contact us at destiny@destinywinters.com with any questions or accommodation requests.
Your sustainable path to managing your health is one step at a time.
*A note about recordings: While the live session offers the best opportunity for interaction and community support, we understand that health can be unpredictable. Your registration includes access to the recording for 90 days post-workshop.*