I think if you're having trouble breathing through those you need to do more exercise, like riding a bike as fast as you can for as long as you can (something similar). That being said I would LOVE to wear a mask when riding my bike so I don't take in a lung fulls of someones fossil fuel waste and so I can actually smell things (nice things, like fall leaves and ocean stuff) afterward, but I tried it once and almost sucked the mask all the way into my mouth which was not fun.

I also have trouble with peoples breath. I can usually tell when someones a bit dehydrated because it just smells a certain way and much more than usual. I have to like steel myself to interact with them... a mask would help but then people have trouble hearing me, which is more spoons than just dealing with their breath. >...>

Have you read The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells? The main character often complains about how stinky humans are (among other things). Pretty sure Murderbot is based off of an autistic person because sooo much of their persona is relatable.

I still use a mask, as I am immunocompromised on and off. Also people stop telling me I have resting bitch face when I wear it. So it stays on.

But it's nearing the holidays, so lots of highly spiced things exist, and one of those is these spiced pinecones, and I can smell those through the mask. I was standing near them waiting for my twin and I asked how bad they actually were because my throat was getting hit with the scent and twin was like "a billion times worse without the mask" so. Hurgh

I haven't stopped masking to avoid giving/receiving COVID to the best of my ability, but i noticed that during summer i can actually breath normally while outdoors with a mask on, and in winter it helps keep my face warm, so I've never had a reason to stop since starting and have no incentive to do so even if COVID goes extinct somehow

so not quite people related (tho cars, which are driven by people, are probably involved), but stench is definitely around one way or the other

I think humans sensitivity to odors varies across several orders of magnitude, and it sounds like you are definitely on the opposite end of me who has very low sensitivity and is rarely affected by others odors. Although I do understand how sharing the air with certain unliked people can elicit disgust.

That being said, Im much more worried about your general troubles breathing.

I'm very sensitive to smells, but no, under most circumstances I don't detect any stink in most people, not unless they got sweaty or are covered in cigarette smoke with perfume

Did you wear a mask before the pandemic? I do think the breath of others stinks as well, but I'm trying to keep a distance between the other person and myself when we talk so I don't have to smell it.

Breathing with a mask is fine for me, though.

covid vaccines mostly help reduce the gravity of an infection and mortality, but they don't do much in terms of protecting you from long covid (which you can get even with an asymptomatic infection, and each infection makes it more likely)

FFP2/N95 and comparable masks (and ventilation technically but cleaner air is something society has given up on) are what helps prevent spread on either side

fwiw mask quality can vary (especially if you only get the absolute cheapest ones), and some are more breathable/comfortable than others

Try making or buying a well fitting cloth mask, not as protective as n95 but much more breathable and still helps, add a few drops of essential oil like a thieves oil blend and feel like a plague doctor.

Edit:re:edit: you may have an issue with the artificial scents, definitely give essential oils a go but make sure you're getting quality and real oils, Walmart for example has adulterated/fake oils.

Oh, heh, I thought this was going to be about unmasking (as in autism), and the quality of the content of people's character.

You may want to look more thoroughly into the "side effects" of the pharmaceuticals you've been taking, at the same time as when you check on the "number to treat". There may be clues, on both sides... e.g. in terms of changes of your olfactory/nervous system, and other people's change of odour from impact on their microbiome.

... Also, re-breathing all that moist bacterial incubation from the inside of masks while making yourself chronically a little hypoxic and exhausted for the duration while wearing them, may also contribute to sensory changes, from immune/biome balance changes.

Adjusting to the change, from becoming accustomed to mask wearing, is a hurdle well worth figuring out how to accomplish, despite the challenge, given the comparison of trajectories of continuing to dig the hole deeper, or getting moving past the adjustment difficulty.

... Still, would be nice if people could at least stop spraying themselves with all those hormone-disrupting & aluminium laced volatile (smelly) compounds.

People with immune systems that are bad for your immune system, should indeed smell bad to you. Unpleasant as it is, this is actually a benefit.

We're like the canaries down the coal mine. The smarter miners do not wait for the canary to stop singing, before leaving the mine. They leave at the first cough. Trusting senses.

Stay kindly assertive with the assholian imposers. Doubly so if they continue dismissively. (Feels great, when getting the balance right, no longer feigning to them, not accepting what's wrong, not just suffering their ignorant imposition in silence. ~ Speaking from experience yesterday.) You don't need to just endure. Can carve out space enough to think. Improving over time.