To think that life just hasn’t been the same ever since covid

[Youcantbeseriousmate]

Does anyone feel the same?

It feels like something changed. Life carries on and there are sometimes good times, but it doesn’t feel the same, people don’t seem genuinely happy anymore.
When I think back to before covid, it seems like a different world

I have never come across this. The paperwork for call centre staff is online. They do not have access to paper records.

Yes, this sums it up perfectly.

I am “leaning out” at work. I can easily exceed my targets in a fraction of the time and can’t be arsed to do extra work for free.

Travel, friends and family are all I care about now. I have vastly improved boundaries and am a far better friend as I no longer feel pressured into agreeing to do things I don’t want to do socially then flaking. I used to do this but now I say no straight away if I don’t fancy it.

My priorities are far better and I am so much happier.

I feel things are different since covid.

My children were 10 & 12 at the start of covid, and I think they have had a VERY different secondary school experience than they would otherwise have had. Their early teenage years were significantly impacted and it has changed the kind of people they are. Friendships mediated online, much less hanging out at each others' houses, much less opportunity for parents to be present on school campus, two full seasons of sport cancelled means they both gave up (forgot?) cricket, other childhood hobbies just fell away because nearly two years of cancellation. Younger boy's teachers did not see their kids without a mask from start of you are one until well in to second year of secondary - this massively affected relationship building.

Not all of it is covid though - I agree that Brexit reality, economic woes and American politics all play a (negative) part.

I think the whole Covid episode gave us a very clear window on to how quickly the world could be divided and controlled. The vaxxed vs the non vaxxed. As a non vaxxed having to sit outside restaurants. Invasive tests before I could board a plane … the certificates. I don’t think I’m less happy. Just more wise.

My only fear is a return to similar restrictions . I’m lucky enough I live remote and rural and I managed to still go out during lock down but the not being able to see my parents and sister , nephews was so bad . But as you say my priorities are much clearer now .

I feel like it is different but wonder if due to austerity or cost of living more than the result of COVID.

I found the Covid lockdowns difficult due to many factors. I was glad the lockdowns ended. I do agree that a lot of things seem to have changed though although not sure whether these can be attributed to Covid. I think there is a lack of thought and understanding for other people, lots more entitlement and anger and people seem generally less resilient. I feel far less tolerant than I ever had but some of this might be menopause!

I feel like work really ramped up during Covid (pubic sector) and hasn’t gone back to normal levels. So everyone is very stressed and it’s unmanageable and never ending. There’s also no money as the government had to bail out lots so less to put into new things. Obviously when you had nothing else to do people did work more so it’s hard to row back now and expectations are huge. Also, society is a lot less tolerant, more demanding and there is a big impact of mental health problems and impact on kids I’m seeing. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m less happy, as I had my kids post covid but it’s definitely different. A lot of my friends drifted away during covid and we’ve struggled to get back to the same place, especially those who don’t live locally. Which is ironic as I’d think the use of new tech would have made that easier but people prefer to go out locally with local friends than zoom with someone further away now!

@Youcantbeseriousmate yes I 100% agree. People are much more introverted now, more home based and less sociable. Mental health seems worse in general. Working from home is more common now and I think to the detriment of working relationships. It feels like lots of things got worse and haven't got better.

I thought after the restrictions Covid brought, people would seize the day more now. Most of our friends are doing less fun stuff and don't go out much. Some of our friends who always had birthday parties and bbq garden parties have not hosted a single one since Covid. Apart from wfh, I miss pre Covid.

Agree with everything you said.

I disagree for my family but I appreciate I didn't have the worries others had in that I'd already lost my dp.
Covid was wonderful for us and dh can work from home which is wonderful.
It's had many many benefits for us.

As a nation though we have been through one disaster after another, not just us of course but it feels like we have not had a great time for 20 odd years.

@PigglyWigglyOhYeah that was definitely there before covid

Absolutely right - I'm still having arguments with friends/family who say the harsh lockdowns were necessary. The rules were ludicrous.

I've noticed this a little too. I wonder though if it's more a cost of living crisis issue? Since Covid, many businesses have lost money.

The vaxxed versus the unvaxxed, or as the groups themselves liked to put it, the brainwashed covidians versus the covidiot refuseniks.
The masked versus the non-masked.
The "mask-exempt" versus the mask refuseniks.
The keyworkers versus the non-keyworkers.
The children in school versus those not allowed in school.
The furloughed versus the non-furloughed.
The self-employed who were lucky enough to receive support versus those who didn't.
The tested versus the untested.
The clappers versus the heretic non-clappers.
The lockdowners versus the conspiracy theorist granny-killers.

It's almost as if somebody was looking for ways to divide the public, and looking for ever-more creative insults for each side.

Most of our friends are well off and not worrying about COL so not the reason. I do realise that COL could be a factor for less parties and going out for many people though.

I don’t think it’s just the pandemic, it’s various events and issues and specifically in the U.K. from Brexit onwards.

It seems like a lifetime ago and a dystopian nightmare
However the world has changed immensely
I feel people have become more insular and do less are less sociable etc in general
in the course of my job I meet and speak to people every day whose mental health has deteriorated in last 5 years
The economic climate has changed
I have long covid/post viral fatigue syndrome or vaccine damage - who knows? But my life has changed beyond belief - I’ve gone from a healthy active 50 something to a shadow of my former shelf

This exactly. I am constantly on edge wondering what else we are going to have thrown at us.

I don't agree about harshness, more about the length and the behaviour of those in Downing Street.

Yep. Because as soon as covid seemed to be easing, it was Ukraine, monkeypox, extreme heat. There has been something on the go ever since, produced like a rabbit out of a hat. It's hard not to believe that somebody is making sure that there is a constant narrative of fear.

Completely agree. I will never have the same faith in things muddling along that I did before, and I seem to have lost the ability to look forward to anything, as if I can't believe that it will definitely happen.

Maybe some of this is age? I wonder how many of us who feel that Covid did permanent damage were late 30s/early 40sish then and are now fully, properly middle-aged? And how many of us had very young children who lost some part of their childhood?

This was something I noticed with my kids. They were all involved seriously in one thing or another at the time, and many were never picked back up, or only much later. I have never believe in highly scheduling kids but I do feel they were impoverished in some ways.

Another thing that has affected me is that since COVID, my extended family no longer gets together. I haven't seen them all as a group now in years, and it's something I miss very deeply. Mainly this is my maternal side, aunts uncles, and such. They are starting to get older now too and I suspect that we won't ever have another get together like we used to.

I think people have become insular and entitled. There may be other contributing factors but it is easy to mark life as pre and post covid. As pp have said, some businesses have used it as an excuse for poor service for ever more. There is, in general, a lack of willingness to live in the physical present rather than online, and many seem to have an inbuilt distrust of others, like they’re vying for the last toilet roll at all times.