What is the “Pandemic Time Skip”?
The “pandemic time skip” refers to a phenomenon from the earlier days of COVID-19 that many people can relate to. It felt like we had life on fast-forward. One day, it was March 2020, and then suddenly, we were nearing the end of 2023.
The concept of the pandemic time skip gained traction on TikTok, where users began sharing how they felt about this lost sense of time — when days turned to weeks turned to months, with no clear distinction between them.
People lamented the important milestones and moments that should have taken place without the pandemic backdrop. The experience created a unique blend of nostalgia meets regret and is often encapsulated by phrases like “the stolen years.”
Missed milestones: Birthdays, weddings, graduations
Almost everyone can tell of at least one celebration over Zoom or an intimate wedding ceremony at home instead of in a grand ballroom. According to research in The Knot’s 2021 Real Weddings Study, 80% of couples reduced their guest count, and 45% changed their wedding location in 2020. In 2019, the average wedding had 131 guests, but in 2020 that number dropped dramatically, to just 66.
Also impacted were graduations and birthday celebrations. From virtual and drive-through ceremonies to outdoor socially distanced birthday parties and neighborhood car parades, no festivity in 2020 looked like our norm.
The feeling of a “stolen year” and its implications
The gap between what was supposed to be and what actually happened in 2020 tapped into our human need for progress and achievement. The sadness of the stolen year is about more than just missed parties or trips. We continued to strive to move forward but never could quite get there.
It turns out this ongoing state had a severe mental health impact. Since the start of the pandemic, people have experienced COVID-related increases in anxiety, depression, and feelings of helplessness, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). In 2019, the monthly average range of anxiety symptoms experienced by adults in the United States was between 7.4% – 8.6%. By August of 2021, that rate leaped to a staggering 37.2%.
Depression rates saw similar jumps. In 2019, anywhere from 5.9% – 7.5% of adults reported symptoms of depression. In August of 2021, the percentage of people experiencing post-covid depression was up to 31.1%.
The societal pressure to be productive vs. the reality of coping
As lockdowns continued, people found unexpected free time in their days. The COVID time warp began as people who were once commuting or sitting in an office, were suddenly encouraged to take advantage of extra hours and do things like learn something new, start baking bread, do jigsaw puzzles, take up an artistic or creative hobby, organize their closets, or buy a Peloton.
Should we force ourselves to use our extra time wisely, pick up new skills, and find new hobbies, despite the feeling that being productive is impossible in isolation?
As researchers explored this issue — and found that employees who shifted to work-from-home environments might be up to 13% more productive than when they were in office — they discovered that while some people thrived under lockdown conditions, many others struggled with feelings of guilt, anxiety, and shame for not being as productive as they wanted to be (or felt like they were expected to be) in quarantine and close contact isolation.
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