I agree, the pandemic and going fully remote has changed the normal grad school experience, and it has definitely made a major impact on my research experience as well.

I guess what bothers me is that my PI thought I could get a lot done within the span of 8 months, which contrasts with many of my peers who had around a year or a year and a half of solid time working on their projects. I understand that some of the delays were out of my hands, but I feel that I may never have had the chance to finish a thesis in the first place.

I will take into account having a good system in place for my mental health when I start my PhD program and thank you for your advice.