For me I didn't realize that my feet had actually grown and I was cramming my feet into the old sized shoes (and kept buying the old size too). Took years to figure that one out :-/
I think you're right - this was also during Covid where I was home and barefoot alot more. The effect is the same though which is that I need bigger shoes now and just that simple change solved alot of pain (also getting jeans that fit right).
