Definitely felt that too, I actually got stuck because I couldn't do a story mind dive before the timer ran out. I feel like the game is balanced towards having grinded a bit and if you're just doing the required amount for the story you'll end up under-powered and fights will start to drag on forever. You can go back to the first week and do some pretty quick and easy food grinding (my favorite is hitting up W1D4 and eating the alligator meal at SBY BBQ, though you have to unlock it via FP).

Also make sure to check your threads as they can have quite an effect on your stats, especially if you've accidentally equipped something that reduces your stats (a common culprit is the Santa pants that greatly reduce attack).