With the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 having come and gone, it is now possible to look back on the past year, acknowledge the mistakes we all made, and note the growing pains that came with living through a global pandemic. Some of them were more ridiculous than others, but somehow millions of people had collective experiences during the pandemic. So, put a finger down if….

#1) You hoarded toilet paper. Like, a lot of toilet paper.  

What in the world was going on here? Right after the pandemic hit, it seems like everyone wanted to stock up on toilet paper. It became so bad that stores were out of stock after a new shipment and customers had to limit their purchases to one pack per person. It started up again in December, a phenomenon that is still odd after any form of consideration.

#2) You forgot your mask. Bonus points if you realized after you already got into a public building.

Masking has become a staple of everyone’s day-to-day lives, yet it has not always been this way. At the beginning of the pandemic, many people had to get used to wearing a mask. A lot of us left it at home, in our car – or pretty much any other place than on our face, where we needed it most.

#3) You smiled at a stranger through your mask.

It has become a social norm to smile at people who walk by as a form of acknowledgement. Now? No one sees you smiling, they only see you staring at them.

#4) You tried to make your own hand sanitizer.  

Just like the toilet paper, hand sanitizer went off the shelf fast. It became so bad that some people attempted to make their own hand sanitizer. There are many at-home tutorials still available on YouTube for those who would want to try making their own now. The main theme that many of the videos share is that all hand sanitizers need to be at least 60 percent alcohol or they will not be effective. If the products are unavailable to make at-home hand sanitizer, washing your hands is still one of the most effective methods in stopping the spread of germs.

#5) You convinced yourself that you had COVID-19.

That sore throat? Seems like COVID. That accidental cough? Might be COVID. Any basic bodily function that seemed out of the blue? What if it is COVID? Many people have had these thoughts, meaning that the pandemic has turned many people into mini-hypochondriacs.

So, how many fingers did you put down? If all five are down, welcome to the COVID-19 pandemic experience. If you did not put down any fingers…What have you been doing for the past year?