Remember COVID-19? That teeny-tiny virus that has managed to wreak havoc across the entire globe, killing as of today 6.68 million people world-wide, with 658 million cases registered? Yeah, that started 3 years ago this month.

Thankfully, it’s (more or less) under control because of regular vaccinations, keeping up hygiene standards, and just plain old physical distancing in public spaces. But it’s still surreal to think of all the lockdowns, work from home, living in the unknown and the like that have happened in just a few years.

This hits even harder for those who lost loved ones, or at the very least made some regretful decisions right before or during the dawn of the pandemic. Folks online have been sharing their regrets after someone on Reddit asked in hindsight, what decision bit people in the [butt] during the pandemic?

And folks answered. And then Bored Panda compiled this lovely list of the best responses from the now-viral thread. And then you scrolled down to check it out, upvote, comment, all that jazz and then you left your own regretful decisions in the comment section below.

And then we all read them and showed support for you.

More Info: Reddit

#1

Thinking that everyone was on the same page and we could all end this together quickly

Image credits: Ipconfigall

#2

Allowing anti-scientific nutjobs to get a hold of the narrative

Image credits: ___Why_Am_I_Here___

#3

Forcing “essential workers” to continue to show up every single day and do the whole job they signed up for with little or even no hazard pay. Worse, laying people off without any consideration for the obvious upcoming boom in homelessness.

Image credits: heddercruz

#4

Politicizing a public health issue.

Image credits: Tail_Nom

#5

Adopting a pet while obeying stay at home order. A lot of people did this out of loneliness and being home 24/7. Afterwards people go back to work pet is suddenly alone 8-12* hours a day and then the shelters are refilled to beyond capacity and now these sweet babies are being put down to relieve the overcrowding problem a lot of shelters were facing.

Image credits: Dolphina_52

#6

The amount of children who were forced to stay inside with their abusers. For some reason, a lot of people don’t consider that side of things.

Image credits: cactusbish

#7

I got really fat.

I regret that.

Image credits: SergeStorms_offmeds

#8

I heard a terrifying statistic that domestic abuse reports dropped during covid… it’s terrifying because victims were isolated from their friends/family and trapped with their abuser, so there was no one to report on their behalf.

Image credits: birchpiece91

#9

Not getting adult braces. Never imagined masks for 3 years long, I could’ve had perfectly straight pearly teeth by now

Image credits: LucidDreams27

#10

Closing outdoor spaces at the same time as schools. I’m sorry, the PARK is closed? Hiking trails are closed? National parks are closed? WHY?!

Image credits: Nicopernicus13

#11

Buying a pet they couldn't afford to keep once the pandemic ended. Lots of animals are in shelters or euthanized due to it.

Image credits: Tirekyll

#12

Eating like I never had to see people again

Image credits: bernelux

#13

All those idiots that bought pallets of hand sanitizer and toilet paper to sell at a markup and then were left without sales and still have those pallets in their garages.

#14

How is no one saying putting infected old people in old folks homes with healthy people and keeping them in there

Image credits: Glittering-Carpenter

#15

My friend found an above ground pool on clearance for $199 at Lowe’s right as the pandemic was starting. She texted me about it saying there were several left and I should hurry and go get one. I was too cheap to go buy one. I regretted that decision every day for the next year.

Image credits: rupret1

#16

Paying $300 more a month in rent to be closer to my job and never stepping foot in the office.

Image credits: thebody512

#17

Not refinancing their mortgages when the rates were at 2.5%.

Image credits: OnionTruck

#18

Encouraging retirement for older employees, ESPECIALLY airline pilots

A big reason theres been so many issues with travel in 2022 is because back during peak pandemic, a huge chunk of pilots were pushed to retire

Now travels back at pre-pandemic highs and airlines are looking around like "F**k... whos gonna fly the planes???"

Image credits: xtheinvisiblehandx

#19

Believing it when they said “don’t worry, it’s only two weeks to flatten the curve.”

Image credits: Odinson-1981

#20

Deciding not to buy a house right at the beginning

Image credits: bobblobblaww

#21

Only taking one pack of toilet paper, one pack of antibacterial wipes, one bottle of hand sanitizer, and one can of Lysol. To make sure everyone else would have some.

The day before all hell broke loose.

#22

Bought a dog. Then never left the house so he grew up with us around 24/7. Now he’s neurotic and can’t be left alone. #brittanyspaniel

Image credits: steampunk96

#23

Drinking heavily. Well, drinking heavily AND joining an online casino. Does nothing for your savings, I can attest.

Image credits: Billoby42

#24

Not getting household spending under control THE SECOND I was out of a job but on the hook for an expensive lease. All those new hobbies were fun but now I’d much rather have savings than rudimentary gardening knowledge.

Image credits: Creative-Ad-3222

#25

Not walking out of my dead end job and playing video games for a year like so many other people. Instead continued working my a*s off for complete douche bags who just tossed me out with the trash when “my services were no longer needed”…

Image credits: noobtoober13

#26

Not letting road crews fix roads in their social bubble.

Image credits: VampyreOfNazareth

#27

A bunch of people in my area decided to buy houses in rural areas under the assumption they'll be working from home forever. Now a lot of workplaces are hybrid or fully back in person and they're all stuck with long commutes and less wealthy people in rural areas are being priced out.

Image credits: punkterminator

#28

Putting off trying to make new friends, it has become immensely more difficult for me to make friends since the pandemic and im not completely sure of the source

Image credits: peej__

#29

Oh man. The number of people who filed for unemployment who did not qualify and are now getting overpayment notices with the 30% penalty fee is insane.

I'm talking owing 20-36k in overpayments.

The worst ones claimed uo to 52 weeks at 750 a week plus 30% penalty

Image credits: Doggystyle_Rainbow

#30

Hoarding toilet paper

Image credits: God_Sp3ar

#31

watching Tiger King

Image credits: allmimsyburogrove

#32

wiping down groceries with Clorox wipes. I’ll never get that time back

Image credits: GeothermalUnderwear

#33

In Canada specifically, taking CERB when you weren’t qualified for it. There are so many people getting calls to pay it back now (with interest)

Image credits: slut4sparklingwater

#34

Golf courses put a pool noodle in the hole and you couldnt take it out. If you hit the noodle, it counted as making the hole.

For some reason being able to hit the ball in a hole was unsafe, but hitting a noodle in the hole was perfectly fine.

#35

I'd say people largely avoiding all communication, even virtual communication. It got tough to stay in touch with friends when they say stuff like "I don't do Teams".

#36

Oh and that thing at the very very beginning where public health officials were telling regular people not to wear heavy-duty masks and that masks weren't necessary so that there would be enough for healthcare workers... ?

I understand the effort, but we should have funded ramped-up mass production and encouraged people to reuse one mask per person, disinfecting between uses.

That was a huge L, probably the biggest mistake of the whole thing if I had to guess.

(Not counting people lying for profit as a mistake because they did that on purpose with full knowledge of the consequences)

#37

Telling people mask works and then banning people not to get them because health workers need it first.

That put a lot of distrust to the CDC and did more damage as people who had access to them hid it and hoarded it.

#38

Not understanding the bail out system well enough to make my family a ton of money through fraud. #PPPloanforgiveness

Image credits: DeviantProfessor