‘What unexpected side effects of the pandemic did you experience that most people wouldn’t notice?’ – 21 strange but lasting post-Covid events

The Covid-19 pandemic really took hold in the UK about five and a half years ago, and life is, mercifully for most of us, pretty much back to normal again. However, there are some changes which happened during lockdown that have lingered. Some of which are obvious, such as working from home being normalised, but some are stranger and more subtle. User Unlikely_Egg posted this question on the AskUK subreddit:

What are some unexpected side effects of the pandemic that you experienced but most people wouldn’t notice? I’ll go first. My feet changed shape.

Up until the first lockdown I worked full time in an office wearing relatively smart shoes (I’m female). Working from home meant my feet were free of their rubbery bonds and the front half of my feet widened and my toes straightened. Now when I wear regular shoes they’re so uncomfortable!

And lots of other people chipped in with the small but surprising changes – good and bad – that have lasted for them since the panny-d died down.

1.

‘I rarely wear a bra, pants or shoes. Seeing as I wfh full time I don’t need my body to be confined in ways that are required for commuting and office work. Trussed up like a fucking chicken! Anyway, it all is freeeee now. I love it.

Video calls take place shoulder up, so nobody needs to be aware of my lack of undergarments or footwear.’
–Poo_Poo_La_Foo

2.

‘I ditched the underwire in 2020 too and never going back. Cannot believe I spent 20 years doing that to my poor boobs!’
–polystyrenedaffodil

3.

‘Being at home I never had to hold in a wee. Not like at work, on a train, in traffic, etc and now my brain-to-bladder signal is always I need to go ASAP.’
–GrandDuty3792

4.

‘Make up for me. I used to always wear make up to work, then I was WFH so stopped, my skin cleared up something magical and now I only wear it for special occasions. I managed a good regime that maintained my healthy skin.’
–slow-getter

5.

‘I became way more sensitive to crowds. Before lockdown I could go to the shops on a Saturday and have no problem, now there’s a good chance I’ll have a panic attack if I do it.’
–ans-myonul

6.

‘WFH. I’ve managed to save a fortune and nearly cleared my mortgage about 15 years earlier than planned. If someone doubled my salary to go into the office, I’m not sure if take it now.’
–Optimal_Collection77

7.

‘The whole serving things on things that weren’t plates shit seemed to die. Which is a good thing.’
–Voodoopulse

8.

‘Gonna sound weird but being out of the office for so long made me better at keeping a good vibe in the office with my clients. Before I was terminally pissed off with having to be on site but three years of WFH made me better at engaging with people face to face.

That isn’t to say I want to be on site all the time, far from it, but it has helped me appreciate the contrast. I still very much prefer to work from home, but on site I also thrive a lot better because of the balance. Basically I don’t get sick of people as much as before.’
–FinalEdit

9.

‘I definitely became addicted to exercise, but only at home. I spent quite a bit on equipment like a commercial exercise bike and elliptical trainer, a ski machine, water rower, treadmill and a few sets of quality adjustable dumbbells. I also bought a home sauna, spa and cold plunge tub.

My wife said it’d all sit there gathering dust after the pandemic but even she is surprised just how often it all gets used and how I’m constantly motivated to push myself harder all the time. I just couldn’t go back to a gym now.’
–AlwaysCreamCrackered

10.

‘Better mental health. I was in a bad place before. With more WFH now I have a better work/life balance. Something that in my industry was unheard of before, we had barely started casual Fridays!’
–No-Introduction7779

11.

‘I kept a job. I found out I’m autistic (suspected in 2018, long long waiting list and moving counties meant I got a diagnosis in 2022), and suddenly the reason why working from home seemed to suit me so well was revealed.

Not having to modulate my face and voice constantly made me a lot less stressed out, I came across as a more professional worker because I was able to focus a lot better away from an open-plan office, and now I’ve been here five years. Prior to this I was constantly being told ‘your work’s great, but you’re not a good fit for the office’ or mysteriously losing my job due to budget reasons before I’d been there two years.

This job has helped me to buy a house with my partner, save enough for a wedding and get married, and even start to accept that autism is a disability and thus I am disabled and that’s not a dirty word. (I have, however, got a lot worse with travelling. You win some, you lose some.)’
–crestfallen_castle