People Are Sharing Things They Don't Do Anymore Because Of COVID, And It's A Reminder How Much Our Lives Have Genuinely Changed These Past Two Years

It's pretty wild to think that it's been almost two whole years since COVID-19 became a global pandemic and disrupted just about every aspect of our lives.

A nurse giving a male patient a Covid test
Pekic / Getty Images / Via Getty Images

It's safe to say that life feels totally different now. So when I stumbled upon a Reddit thread comparing life before COVID versus now, I was intrigued by the conversation going on in the comments. Redditor u/Outrageous-Collar-09 asked the question, "What normal thing pre-COVID feels weird now?" — and the responses ranged. Here are some of them.

1."Wearing any makeup at this point, TBH."

A woman applying mascara while looking into a handheld mirror

2."Still going to work when you’re sick — because you’re not 'too sick' to work."

—u/ASaltyPorkchop

3."Sharing drinks with people. I used to never think twice about drinking after someone."

A group of friends saying cheers with their drinks at dinner

4."Blowing candles out on a cake — then serving that cake to other people."

—u/Lucky_Wolf_03

5."Flying on an airplane. Flew for the first time this week since 2018. Shit was weird, man."

A view of the bottom of a plane flying into the sky

6."Knowing what the lower half of faces look like. I imagine my own version and then I see them without a mask and I get a sort of dissonance."

—u/Bingo_is_my_name_o

7."Coughing and sneezing in public."

A woman sneezing into her arm while standing on a train with people

8."Reading lips. I’m autistic with an auditory processing disorder. I sometimes hear syllables instead of actual words, so I lip read to make sure I’m hearing someone correctly. Masks have created so many awkward, embarrassing, confusing interactions for me because I can’t lip read anymore!"

—u/lunanightphoenix

9."Anywhere with a crowd."

A blurred photo of people walking in a busy city

10."Going anywhere you want without thinking about it."

—u/Aruaz821

11."Dating during COVID sucks. There are no social gatherings to meet new people."

—u/rideincircles

12."I really miss greeting strangers with a quick smile in public places or seeing that they're smiling at me."

The CW / Via giphy.com

—u/i_really_wanna_help

13."Vaccines not being political."

—u/CautiousMachine

14."In-person work. Haven't been on site since March 2020 other than picking up an ergonomic chair once we knew we weren't coming back for a long time."

People sitting around a table in an enclosed conference room in an office

15."Going to an empty drive-thru and quickly getting fast food."

—u/ulethpsn

16."Going to browse around a store for no reason. I won’t go to stores anymore unless there’s something in particular I need."

A woman browsing a store holding a clothing item in her hands
Luis Alvarez / Getty Images / Via Getty Images

17."Going to a hospital without a mask. Super common before but unthinkable now."

—u/Guspsz

18."Salad bars were always kinda sketch — but I miss them."

People at a salad bar putting food onto their plate

19."Uber pools."

—u/FlyingPigs3210

20."In the Southern US, a handshake used to be a given. Now everyone has to do this weird half attempt or ask if it's okay to shake hands. Most people have just stopped. It's so bizarre."

A close up image of two hands shaking

21."Watching movies with scenes of crowded elevators and no masks. 'Yikes' is all I can think now."

—u/WilliamStonerock

What are some things that you considered normal pre-Covid but bizarre now? Tell me in the comments below!