While we already allow ourselves to live more freely knowing that the pandemic is more or less controlled, we can still feel its effects. Even though this phenomenon hit us differently, it still made an impact on each and every one of us. While some lost their loved ones, were laid off, or had to say goodbye to their dreams, others might’ve been lucky to get out of it with less painful consequences. Having this in mind, Reddit user u/blancheneige37 asked others online “What did the pandemic ruin more than we realize?” The question that received more than 42k upvotes encouraged people to share their insights on what changed during the pandemic and hasn’t come back to its previous state.

Soon Reddit users started sharing what they’d noticed since the beginning of Covid-19, revealing how much our relationships with one another have changed and how kids and youth were robbed of getting an opportunity to socialize and now might struggle with their emotions and anxiety. Others also noticed that the way they see money has changed as now many things are much more expensive, and even having a takeout is considered a luxury. Not to mention the number of rising businesses that had to be closed due to the inability to adapt to this sudden change. What are some of the things that you have noticed to be different than before? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!

More Info: Reddit

#1

It ruined me on traffic, for one glorious year, as an “essential worker” I had the roads almost entirely to myself, it was beautiful.

Image credits: lettherebeme

#2

Leaving the house.

Goes to Subway – I can make a better sandwhich at home.
Goes to a nail salon – I can paint my nails better than this lady.
Goes to a hair salon – I’ve been cutting my hair solo for 2 years now, I’m a pro.
Goes to work – I can do all of this more efficiently at home.
Goes to Applebees – I can provide myself with mediocre service at home.
Goes to Walmart – I can order all of this online.

Why did I leave the house again…?

Image credits: EmmyTheSweet

#3

My ability to tolerate people and their b******t.

Image credits: 8pintsplease

#4

The health system is wrecked. Way too many nurses got burnt out and left the profession.

Image credits: randomredditor0042

#5

I feel like everyone is more bitter now. Like we all saw through the sham of society. Time feels different now. Things just feel off compared to pre 2020

Image credits: destroyed233

#6

“essential” versus “non essential” employees, better known as those who HAD to show up physically in person, and those allowed to stay home. Biggest division in the workplace. Mentally it will never be the same in the workplace.

Image credits: MobWife_88

#7

Family relations. Vaxxed vs antivax, mask vs no mask, covid deniers vs lockdown advocates… Fractured a lot of my family and many others.

Image credits: Grim_Rebel

#8

The cost of living is pretty f****d

Image credits: ANiceDent

#9

My perception on money. I worked so hard to pay off debt, save up for a new house, get promotions. Now with the rise of housing costs and inflation I feel like money is literally such a made-up thing and I have no control over anything even with all the right decisions.

Image credits: KindredSpirit24

#10

Grocery Shopping at 2:00am was the best thing ever. Now I have to shop with the rest of you hooligans and it f*****g sucks.

Image credits: Holinyx

#11

The belief that Americans are able to come together in a crisis and be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good.

We’ll never trust each other again.

#12

Worker/employee relationships. A lot of people woke up to how s****y a deal we have it in the united states. Wealthiest country in the world. No guarantied sick leave, no paternal/maternal leave. We gave big business bailouts AND they still raised prices and fired workers.

#13

As a teacher, I can say that it’s definitely affected kids in a way people don’t realize. Kids who had their first year of school (or even second) during the pandemic act quite different than kids who had a normal introduction to school. Many of them seem to have fewer social skills and higher anxiety than kids from previous years.

Image credits: llamaddramaa

#14

I’m not sure if anyone else feels the same way but my perception of time hasn’t really returned back to normal since then

Image credits: Champaign__Supernova

#15

Increased polarisation of people politically, socially, economically.

Image credits: samw523

#16

I honestly don’t think the majority of Americans especially truly understand just how f****d the healthcare system is and is going to be.

Not just staff burnout, but we have nationwide backorders on some really key medications and even things like blood and albumin shortages.

There have been times that we’ve literally just not had the supplies available to give a blood transfusion and have had to resort to alternative treatments for things like seizures because we simply do not have the normal medications available.

We have major equipment shortages too, there were several months that we couldn’t consistently get Foley catheter kits and we’re having to Frankenstein things together. Currently the only a-line kits my facility has are the double port ones that we use for swanz. Bariatric beds? Good luck finding one!

Entire supply chains and productions lines have ground to a hault.

Add staff burnout, staffing shortages, increased patient loads, deceased equipment, and it’s just a domino tower.

But most people?

Not a single f*****g clue.

#17

This might just be local, but where I live, a S**T ton of businesses closed. I mean, half of them were closed. Not just because of the shutdown, they were closed permanantly.

Image credits: XTVSteveYT

#18

Printed menus… call me snarky but scrolling through your phone at dinner, whether with family or on a date, is s****y

#19

the lockdowns happened during my last semester of university. I’ve never had an in person job, only work from home, which I realize is a blessing but also makes it feel like… idk like it’s not real. I have no work friends, have never met my supervisor in person, I do all my work from my desk in my room. It feels like pretend.

Image credits: EastWin3185

#20

**view on people, their hygiene, and their mental capacity.**

I started to notice that people cough and sneeze without using their hand/arm and just do it into the open, into a room or hallway full of people, directly at people, when they wear a mask they would remove the mask before sneezing or coughing into the open – all without any remorse or understanding why this would be bad or generally why it would be disgusting, no matter if it’s during a pandemic or not.

this still happens, daily I see someone doing it.

it’s mind blowing to me, absolutely mind blowing, considering what we all went through and why.

#21

Feels like it’s a more ‘to each their own’ sense of living. People don’t appear to be as connected as before the pandemic.

Image credits: xensiz

#22

My waistline, and my mental well being. It’s my own fault, but I was about six months sober and working out daily before covid. A few days later, half my department and my co-manager are laid off.

I’m suddenly working 14-hour days in extremely stressful conditions.

Walking my dog and working out took a back seat to a shot or two of Jack to calm my nerves and whatever comfort food I could get from grubhub.

Life is better now, but I haven’t quite kicked all the bad habits I gained from those days.

Stress affects me differently, and I’m a lot more sensitive to it than I used to be.

Image credits: lnvalidSportsOpinion

#23

Faith in humanity.

#24

When you combine social media with a global pandemic it forced all of us to realize people don’t suffer equally. In the age before social media, we could rely on tradition or culture to justify sacrificing to come together. Nowadays we must be guarded to not be exploited.

#25

People seem so much shi**ier in large group public situations now. I don’t know what it is, but etiquette in places like a movie theater use to be standard, but every experience I’ve had lately has been horrible. People talking, sitting there on their phones, and other just generally bad things.

I’ve heard the same about concerts, but haven’t been to as many myself. I’ve heard from others where people used to be polite (help each other up in pits and stuff and so on), they now just don’t give a f**k.

It’s like people are just more rude now for some reason. I’m really interested to know if this is happening everywhere or if I just live in a s****y rude a*s place.

Image credits: goblinking_157

#26

Used car market is completely f****d, as are flight prices

Image credits: Shandangles7

#27

I’m in my 40’s, but the pandemic really cut the list of friends I socialized with in half. We got out of the habit of seeing one another, and now that things are back to “normal”, we just made a habit out of not having dinner dates and stuff like that. When I realized this was happening, it made me look back and realize that I was the one who used to plan things and reach out. I made the conscious decision to stop being the one who always reached out, called and texted and I now see that I’m only in touch with half the people that I used to be.

EDIT: I am not talking about socially awkward, depressed, introverted people. If anything, I’m the introvert, and I still always made a point to reach out. I’m referring to people who still go out, celebrate holidays and birthdays and socialize. Just not with me anymore apparently. There are only so many times I can try and make plans with people who don’t do the same with me. I cannot be the one putting 100% into a friendship.

Image credits: Barnitch

#28

Price of eating out

Image credits: FukinSpiders

#29

People’s driving is so out of wack, my only concern is to make it home in 1 piece.

Image credits: pallaime

#30

Night shift people lives. Nothing is ever open late anymore

Image credits: fearthestorm

#31

Children’s education, mental health, coping skills, and socialization. My wife is an elementary educator, and it’s shocking how far kids regressed during the pandemic. By almost every measure, this generation of kids is in big trouble. I’m optimistic that the trend will right itself over time, but it’s really sad to see.

Image credits: staffsargent

#32

My social/work life, after living like a hermit for 2 years and working from home, it’s taking me a long time to go out like before.

Image credits: No_Bodybuilder8055

#33

Niche retail

There was this cool place that sold vintage chanel, hermes, 70’s pieces

They needed the exploratory foot traffic to survive. Covid killed em

#34

Everything just feels off, people are rude, no parties or overnight hangouts, most people nowadays keep themselves busy on their phones and tiktok. My mental health also took a hit. The time before 2020 feels like a colourful fantasy while the present one feels like a dystopian world

Image credits: TuhatKaks

#35

I went to go get Taco Bell at 10:00 and it was closed

Image credits: theredeyedwarf

#36

Young people’s desire to go into healthcare. We won’t realize it for a generation or so, but healthcare in America was already chronically understaffed. The pandemic burning out medical professionals and discouraging young people from going into healthcare is going to have a negative effect on the quality of healthcare, not only in the United States, but other hard-hit countries, too.

Image credits: Buckus93

#37

Independent/smaller/DIY music venues never really recovered

Image credits: cool69

#38

Every holiday for 2020 was on a weekend, except Cinco de mayo , that was going to be on a Tuesday “taco Tuesday”… it was going to be the best party year ever.
Instead, a week before st Patrick’s day, the world shut down.

Honestly, I don’t think we’ve ever reached closure from it, and I don’t know that we ever will.

I read in a psychology magazine that the human brain changed in 2 years what our brains traditionally change in 10 years..
This posts answers verify that

Image credits: Exciting-Current-778

#39

People’s life plans. We lost almost TWO YEARS of our lives. I should have been in a much different place by now but Covid ruined my opportunities and now I feel like I’m behind two years.

#40

Children’s education, attitude, and manners. As a teacher, there is definitely a noticeable difference after covid in these things. The attitudes and blatant disrespect is unbelievable. I don’t take any of it personally so it doesn’t wear on me so much, but I can absolutely see why some teachers are burnt out because of it.

#41

People’s ability to drive. Drivers are far more aggressive post-COVID, and even fewer people are using their signals.

#42

No school on snow days

Image credits: Sanctu5150

#43

Modern dating

#44

It pushed people away from social gatherings with friends and family and mostly replaced that with screen time. It f****d us up socially, we are more alone than ever.

Image credits: The_Frostweaver

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