1. Commutes Are Back, and Somehow Worse
With more companies demanding in-office time, commuting is back on the daily struggle list. Traffic patterns are more erratic, public transit systems are understaffed, and gas prices still aren’t what they used to be. Even hybrid workers face longer drive times because of condensed “in-office” days. And remote workers? They’re still expected to be “on” for people in every time zone.
The promise of hybrid work was supposed to ease this, but it’s created new kinds of inefficiencies. Rush hours have shifted, but they’re still painful. People are wasting hours again just getting from one place to another, often without a real reason. The worst part is the growing sense that the commute isn’t worth what’s waiting on the other end.
2. Remembering How to Small Talk Again
After years of Zoom calls and muted mics, casual conversation feels more like a chore than a habit. Many people still get a little anxious about elevator chats or running into someone at the coffee machine. The pandemic trained us to keep our distance, and that social muscle atrophied hard. Now, reconnecting means relearning how to ask “How’s it going?” without sounding like a malfunctioning AI.
And yet, it matters more than ever. Loneliness is at an all-time high, with the U.S. Surgeon General calling it an epidemic. We’re desperate to feel part of something again, but the tools feel rusty. This isn’t about being awkward—it’s about learning how to be human again in public.
3. Hybrid Work Means You’re Always Half at Work
Working from home sounded like a dream in 2020, but in 2025, it’s become a blurry mix of work and life. Slack never sleeps, emails don’t care if it’s 9 p.m., and the office now lives in your living room. You’re technically “flexible,” but that just means you’re expected to be reachable all the time. There’s no clear clock-in or clock-out—just a constant low hum of work in the background.
This is especially rough for parents or caretakers, who are expected to multitask in ways no one was built for. Burnout rates have climbed, and work-life balance feels like a myth we collectively gaslight ourselves with. Even with the perks of no commute, the mental load hasn’t gone anywhere—it’s just shifted platforms. And somehow, meetings still could’ve been emails.
4. Grocery Prices Are a Daily Jump Scare
The sticker shock in the dairy aisle is real—and it’s not just you. Food prices remain high even though inflation has technically cooled, largely because of lingering supply chain issues and corporate profit margins. Buying eggs used to be a background task; now it’s a budgeting decision. That $150 grocery trip? That’s just lunch and vibes now.
It’s forcing people to rethink how they shop, eat, and plan. Store brands and meal prepping have made a huge comeback, but even those aren’t silver bullets. Families are cutting corners not for fun, but out of necessity. The mental math of “can I afford this salad kit?” is exhausting—and it happens multiple times a week.
5. Everyone’s Tired, but No One’s Sleeping
We’re all permanently sleep-deprived, and somehow even 8 hours doesn’t fix it. Screen time has spiked again, especially at night, with doomscrolling still a national pastime. Stress-related insomnia is through the roof, driven by economic anxiety, climate dread, and good old-fashioned burnout. You wake up groggy and go to bed wired.
Post-pandemic routines are full of contradictions—we demand high productivity while ignoring rest. Sleep tech is booming, but wearable data doesn’t make you feel rested. People try magnesium, melatonin, white noise apps, and still toss and turn. It’s like we’re trying to optimize sleep the same way we optimize spreadsheets—and it’s just not working.
6. Healthcare Is Still a Maze
Accessing healthcare is technically easier post-pandemic thanks to telehealth, but navigating it all feels harder than ever. Insurance networks are confusing, out-of-pocket costs remain sky-high, and appointment availability is a joke in many places. For mental health services, the waitlists can stretch for months. Even getting a simple prescription refilled can feel like solving a bureaucratic riddle.
The result is that many people just avoid care until it’s urgent. That avoidance drives worse outcomes, higher ER visits, and more stress across the board. America’s healthcare system was strained before COVID—it’s threadbare now. And most of us feel like we’re one surprise bill away from disaster.
7. Dating Is a Full-Time App Job
Swipe culture didn’t disappear after lockdowns—it just got more intense. People are dating more, but also reporting higher dissatisfaction, ghosting, and burnout. There’s pressure to present a perfect version of yourself while also being “real,” which is a confusing paradox. And if you’re off the apps, you’re asking, “Where do people even meet anymore?”
Pandemic isolation reset a lot of social dynamics, and we’re still figuring out what intimacy looks like now. People crave connection but are more guarded than ever. The mental health toll of rejection and emotional labor is real, especially after years of touch starvation. Dating is no longer just emotional—it’s logistical, algorithmic, and kind of exhausting.
8. Kids Are Not Okay
The pandemic interrupted school, play, and development during formative years—and the impact is still showing. Teachers report more behavioral issues, mental health concerns, and learning gaps than ever before. Parents are stretched thin trying to support kids while also navigating their own post-pandemic stress. And let’s not even get started on child care availability.
Kids are resilient, sure, but they’re also mirrors of adult instability. Teen anxiety, depression, and social struggles are all on the rise, and there’s a major mismatch between need and resources. Schools are doing their best, but many are underfunded or overwhelmed. Childhood didn’t bounce back—it’s limping forward.
9. Public Spaces Are Still Weirdly Tense
Going to a concert, a store, or even a park used to feel chill—now it’s tinged with subtle anxiety. Masking debates, crowd management, and general social awkwardness linger in the air. Everyone seems on edge, and basic public etiquette feels like it got lost in the pandemic fog. You notice it most in places that used to feel communal—now, they feel fractured.
There’s also a lingering distrust in shared spaces, especially in urban areas. People still flinch at coughs, dodge crowds, and silently judge how close you’re standing. The social contract didn’t exactly break, but it’s definitely frayed. We’re all here together, but it’s like we’re standing apart on purpose.
10. Everything Is Subscription-Based Now
What used to be a one-time purchase is now a monthly fee. From fitness classes to budgeting apps to toothbrush heads, it feels like everything is a subscription. Budgets are bloated with “just $9.99/month” services that quietly add up. And canceling? Good luck finding the hidden link.
This model took off during the pandemic and stuck around hard. It’s convenient—until you realize you’re paying $300 a month for things you forgot you signed up for. Financial anxiety isn’t just about big expenses anymore; it’s death by a thousand auto-renewals. Convenience now comes with a very literal cost.
11. The News Feels Like Background Radiation
Staying informed used to be a civic duty—now it feels like a health risk. There’s always something catastrophic happening, whether it’s political, environmental, or economic. The news cycle never pauses, and people are increasingly tuning out just to cope. But tuning out also means feeling disconnected and uninformed.
Many people live in this in-between state: aware enough to worry, but too burned out to dig deeper. Misinformation doesn’t help, and even reputable sources can feel overwhelming. The emotional toll of constant “breaking news” is real, especially when you feel powerless to change anything. So we scroll, skim, and sigh, hoping tomorrow’s headlines are less soul-crushing.
12. Remote Friendships Take Real Effort
Friendships used to be nurtured by proximity—shared routines, spontaneous hangouts. Now, many of us live far from the people we care about most. Moving, job changes, and pandemic reshuffles scattered our social circles. Staying close now requires planning, tech, and emotional stamina.
It’s worth it—but hard. Group chats help, but they can’t replace real connection. People are more intentional about their friendships, but also more exhausted. It’s a paradox of being closer than ever and lonelier than before.
13. Political Conversations Feel Radioactive
Whether it’s at work, with family, or even among friends, political talk is a minefield. The pandemic amplified divisions, and now it feels risky to even mention certain topics. People either go silent or go nuclear—there’s little in between. And many folks just opt out to keep the peace.
But avoidance doesn’t solve anything—it just delays the inevitable blow-up. Misinformation and mistrust make it even harder to find common ground. We’re all walking around with emotional armor on, unsure of who’s “safe” to talk to. Democracy thrives on dialogue, but right now, that dialogue feels broken.
14. Personal Space is Sacred—and Limited
People have become fiercely protective of their physical and mental space. Whether it’s avoiding crowded elevators or muting every notification possible, boundaries are tighter now. The pandemic made people reassess what they’re willing to tolerate, and the answer is “not much.” But asserting those boundaries often feels selfish or rude.
The irony is we crave connection—but only on our terms. We want closeness, but not intrusion. People are learning to say no more, but it’s a skill that comes with guilt. We’re redefining respect, and it starts with space.
15. Tech Is Smarter, But We’re Not Calmer
AI tools, smart home devices, and automation have made everything more “efficient.” And yet, nobody seems to feel more relaxed. We’re faster, yes—but also more frazzled. Convenience hasn’t translated into calm.
There’s a gap between what technology can do and what our brains want to do. We’re still biologically wired for slowness, and life is only speeding up. The tech boom hasn’t fixed the human burnout problem—it might’ve made it worse. Just because your coffee machine can talk to your phone doesn’t mean you’re thriving.
16. We’re Grieving Something We Can’t Quite Name
There’s this low-level grief in the air, even if no one talks about it outright. We lost people, years, milestones, and a collective sense of certainty. Life moved on, but not in a straight line—and not everyone came with it. That disorientation lingers.
This isn’t dramatic—it’s real. Therapists call it ambiguous loss, and it’s what happens when you grieve something intangible. We miss how things used to feel, even if we can’t pinpoint what exactly is gone. And that’s the struggle at the heart of it all—trying to move forward while still aching for something we never got to finish.
This post 16 Daily Struggles That Perfectly Sum Up Life in Post-Post-Pandemic America was first published on American Charm.
