As we transition back to a version of “normal” life, the iso journey is yet to end because it has changed many of us.

My family and I were initially relieved to be hidden in the safety of our home, away from any potential source of coronavirus. But each week, things changed.

First it was the toilet paper panic. Then we started to worry about a potential shortage of essential household products, food and medicine.

We are a family of five and being ethnic, I normally have a fully stocked pantry, fridge, laundry and garage. You see, my family has lived through war, they have experienced numerous lockdowns and shortages. As a result, bulk buying has become a cultural norm for us, part of our collective DNA.

While we were OK when it came to essential supplies, it didn’t help alleviate the worry, the uneasy feeling, the unexplained anxiety. Then, home-schooling was added to the mix and the situation quickly escalated toimpossible.

I was lucky to be able to continue my job, working from home. However, working and also “home-schooling” or supervising three young children – all in different age brackets, with remote learning was absolute madness. So, the initial feeling of relief wore off quickly as we tried to figure out how to manage everything.

As a coping mechanism, I found myself turning to a glass of wine to help take the edge off my day. Before I knew it, the single glass had turned into several glasses every night of the week.

#IsoLife. Image: Supplied.

As it turns out, I wasn’t alone. Statistics from the Alcohol & Drug Foundation show that parents in Australia with children aged nine to 12 years increased their drinking the most during lockdown. Almost one in 10 said they were drinking "a lot more".

No surprise there, but what was surprising was that my generation were the biggest drinkers with 35 per cent of millennial parents drinking more, compared to Gen X parents (28 per cent) and Baby Boomers (16 per cent).

After one too many groggy mornings I recognised the pattern and put a stop to it. I want to be a positive role model to my kids. So, I started to drink copious amounts of tea throughout the day, meditating and either napping or exercising, or both, daily. I started #isobaking - banana bread, ANZAC cookies, and several failed loaves of sourdough. I reorganised my pantry and purchased lots of useless things online, including a fermenting pot, heavy duty drain cleaner, a replica of an OTT Kris Jenner jacket and vegan bacon seasoning – I don’t even eat bacon.

I had a few "start, stop, continue" lessons I learned in iso. My nextstart, when life returns to normal, will be to start travelling around Australia. I would love to visit Perth, Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide and Tasmania. My nextstopwill be to stop that pattern of having a drink each day. There are other ways to cope, I've found, so I will drink less. And my nextcontinuewill be to keep up my daily meditation - and even find a meditation I can listen to as I walk.

Some of my friends and I discussed what we would "start, stop and continue" post-#isolife. Here's what they said:

Shaminie, mother of two

"Start:As an event planner almost all my events for most of the year were cancelled. I had to get creative and launched some custom candle and gift hampers as people were unable to visit friends and family. An idea I had been thinking about for a while but finally had the time during the COVID shutdowns.

"Stop:Cooking/eating and drinking so much, out of utter boredom and also as a coping mechanism.

"Continue:While being forced to stay home, I realised how stressful life was and how much I was missing of my kids' lives. I also enjoyed spending more time with friends virtually. Usually we’re all busy all the time but because we were at home more we could do more Zoom calls and online games nights. I think I’m going to miss this time because eventually everything will probably get busy again."

Amy, mother of one (and Gary The Dog )

“When the lockdown started there were posts about quality time, reading and resting. These were quickly followed with day drinking, bulls*** home schooling and warnings about the increase of domestic violence. The sense of failure was everywhere - we didn’t have the ideal retreat experience. It was hard and it was disappointing. I will keep on doing big hikes with my family, including our beloved golden retriever Gary. Everything else I hope changes back to pre-COVID."

Patrick, father of two

“As a family unit I’d like to stop the volume of individual screen time. I’d like to start seeing my friends and family in person more often. I’m looking forward to spending more quality time with people and just catching up. Also, for my children restarting play dates, my five year old really misses his friends.

"As a family we have spent more time outdoors in the nicer weather. We are lucky that the weather in Canberra has been fantastic and given us the option to explore some of the many reserves and green spaces around Canberra. Moving forward I hope to continue getting the whole family out together.