1. Working from Bed Is the New Norm
Before the pandemic, the idea of working from your bed sounded like a luxury—something out of a rom-com. But fast-forward to 2025, and many remote workers are literally rolling over and logging in. The problem? It’s wrecking sleep cycles, posture, and even productivity, according to Ashley Hubbard of Healthline.
The line between work and rest has blurred beyond recognition. People are more burnt out than ever, despite being “home all day.” Screens in bed have long been linked to poor sleep hygiene, but now the problem is compounded by stress from Slack messages pinging at midnight. It’s comfort in the short term, chaos in the long run.
2. “Quiet Quitting” Replaced by Loud Resentment
Remember when “quiet quitting” meant doing just what your job required—no more, no less? It was supposed to be about boundaries. But now, many workers feel trapped in roles that expect pre-pandemic hustle but with none of the rewards. A 2024 Gallup report by Jim Harter showed that employee engagement in the U.S. is at its lowest in over a decade.
What’s replaced “quiet quitting” is something closer to open discontent—people staying put, but not silently. Reddit threads and TikToks are full of stories from employees pushing back against “return to office” mandates and unrealistic expectations. Rather than improving workplace culture, the pandemic seems to have made burnout more public—and more permanent. Managers haven’t adapted nearly as well as the memes have.
3. Meal Delivery as a Primary Food Source
What started as a lockdown convenience has turned into a daily routine: Americans are relying heavily on DoorDash, Uber Eats, and meal kits. According to Farhad Tabatabaei, Yaa Pokua Mensah Nyarko, and Timothy Webb of Sage Journal, U.S. delivery sales have more than doubled from pre-pandemic levels, even as dining out has resumed. It’s easier, yes—but also pricier and often less nutritious.
There’s a massive downside to this shift. People are cooking less, spending more, and often choosing foods with higher sodium and fat. Plus, the environmental cost—think plastic containers and constant driving—is no small thing. The pandemic normalized a lifestyle that’s convenient but unsustainable for health, wallets, and the planet.
4. Screen Time for Kids Skyrocketed—and Stayed There
During the early lockdowns, screen time for children doubled or even tripled. At the time, it was a lifeline for education and social interaction. But even now, years later, those habits haven’t fully reversed. According to Victoria Rideout, Alanna Peebles, Supreet Mann, and Michael B. Robb of Common Sense Media, tweens and teens are spending over 5–8 hours per day on screens outside of schoolwork.
Parents are burnt out, too, and devices often become digital babysitters. The result? Kids are spending less time outdoors and reporting higher levels of anxiety and depression. Experts say the effects on attention spans and social development could be long-lasting. The screen time spike may have started as survival—but it’s quietly becoming the default.
5. Virtual Socializing Is Still a Thing—and It’s Making Us Lonelier
Zoom happy hours, FaceTime hangouts, Discord movie nights—we all got used to connecting virtually. But many people never quite went back to in-person connections in full. The Surgeon General issued a 2023 report declaring loneliness a national health crisis, and digital socializing isn’t helping. It turns out “being connected” doesn’t always mean feeling connected.
A growing number of people report having fewer close friends than before 2020. Virtual hangouts are great for convenience, but they often lack the emotional resonance of real face time. Without physical presence—hugs, eye contact, shared experiences—our social batteries don’t actually recharge. Screens can bridge distances, but they can’t replace touch.
6. DIY Wellness Has Replaced Professional Healthcare for Many
Telehealth surged during the pandemic—and that was a good thing in many ways. But it also kicked off a trend of self-diagnosing and self-treating, often with wellness influencers leading the charge. According to a 2023 Pew study, nearly 40% of adults have tried a supplement or health regimen based on something they saw on TikTok or YouTube. Spoiler alert: most aren’t evidence-based.
While access to professional care remains an issue, the solution isn’t buying unregulated tinctures or skipping doctors altogether. Misdiagnoses, delayed treatments, and worsening chronic conditions are all on the rise. The democratization of health info is empowering, yes—but without proper context, it’s dangerous. When TikTok becomes your doctor, things can go sideways fast.
7. “Hustle Culture” Got Rebranded—But Didn’t Go Away
At the start of the pandemic, there was a reckoning with burnout. People were talking about rest, balance, even anti-productivity movements. But somehow, hustle culture didn’t disappear—it just rebranded into side hustles, passive income, and “monetizing your passion.” The pressure to always be doing something “useful” is still deeply embedded.
Now it’s less about climbing the corporate ladder and more about building a personal brand. People feel like they can’t just enjoy a hobby; they need to turn it into a business. This mindset—though disguised as empowerment—often leads to more stress, not less. The grind never stopped; it just put on a cozy, self-care hoodie.
8. Post-Pandemic Dating Feels More Disposable Than Ever
Dating apps surged during lockdowns, and usage hasn’t really gone down since. But what’s emerged is a kind of “swipe fatigue,” where people are ghosting more, committing less, and emotionally investing less. A Stanford study in 2024 found that while more people are dating online than ever, fewer are reporting satisfying relationships. Matches feel more like transactions than beginnings.
In-person meet-cutes are rarer, and dating etiquette has changed dramatically. Ghosting and breadcrumbing have become normalized, even expected. The spontaneity of meeting someone organically has been replaced by endless scrolling and strategic texting. Love hasn’t died—but romance is definitely in a weird spot.
9. Consumerism Got Supercharged by Emotional Spending
When we were stuck at home, online shopping became a dopamine button. That behavior has stuck, even as stores reopened and inflation soared. According to Adobe Analytics, U.S. e-commerce spending hit record highs in 2023, with many shoppers citing “stress relief” as a motivator. Retail therapy turned from occasional treat into emotional crutch.
Now, packages arrive daily for everything from “self-care” to kitchen gadgets no one uses. The ease of one-click purchases combined with algorithmic marketing has turned shopping into a coping mechanism. This might feel good in the short term, but it fuels debt and overconsumption. Our homes are fuller—and so are our credit card statements.
10. Commutes Came Back—Without the Flexibility
One of the few silver linings of the early pandemic was the death of the daily commute. But many companies have brought back in-office mandates without restoring true flexibility. A 2024 ResumeBuilder.com survey found that over 90% of companies that planned return-to-office policies did so without offering hybrid models. It’s created frustration and resentment across industries.
Instead of adapting to the proven benefits of remote work, some employers are defaulting to the old ways. Workers are spending hours in traffic again—not because it improves output, but because of optics. Flexibility was dangled like a carrot and then yanked away. The result? More tired employees and less job satisfaction.
11. Gig Work Boomed, But Benefits Still Didn’t
Gig economy platforms exploded during the pandemic—Instacart, DoorDash, Uber, you name it. But while demand grew, protections for gig workers didn’t. Most still don’t get health insurance, paid sick leave, or unemployment benefits. The 2023 California Prop 22 battle underscored how tricky worker classification remains.
Gig work offers flexibility, but it also leaves people vulnerable. Many gig workers are working full-time hours with part-time security. As more people turn to these jobs in a post-pandemic economy, the safety net is still full of holes. Convenience for customers has come at a cost—just not one they see.
12. Home Became an Office, a Gym, a Classroom—And a Source of Stress
During the pandemic, our homes had to do it all. But even now, people haven’t reclaimed separate spaces for work, rest, and play. According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress related to blurred home-life boundaries remains high. The kitchen table is still a desk, the bedroom still a Zoom booth.
This has made it harder to “leave work at work,” because home is work. Kids are learning in bedrooms, parents are emailing from closets, and no one is unplugging. We weren’t built to live our entire lives in one place. The mental toll of that shift still hasn’t been fully measured.
13. Travel Got More Expensive—And More Stressful
We all dreamed of our first “post-pandemic trip,” but travel hasn’t bounced back to the easy-breezy adventure it once was. Flight delays, lost luggage, and skyrocketing prices are the norm. A 2024 report from Hopper found average U.S. domestic flight prices up nearly 30% since 2019. Plus, the chaos of airline staffing shortages and policy changes has made flying more exhausting than exciting.
Even vacations now come with extra stress—COVID-era travel insurance, vaccine proof, and disrupted itineraries. And yet, we’re spending more for less satisfaction. The thrill of travel has been weighed down by uncertainty and inflation. What used to recharge us now feels like another logistical nightmare.
14. Mental Health Talk Is Everywhere, But Access Still Isn’t
We talk more openly about mental health than ever before, and that’s progress. But therapy waitlists are long, and costs remain high. According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, nearly 60% of U.S. adults with a mental illness still don’t get treatment. So while social stigma has faded, structural barriers haven’t.
Apps and hotlines help, but they’re not always enough. People know they need help—they just can’t afford it or can’t find it. The gap between awareness and access is where a lot of people are quietly suffering. It’s hard to heal when the tools are still out of reach.
