The Retro Guide To Self Isolation
As we are all currently stuck at home (responsibly) self-isolating, many of us seem to be running out of things to do. While the introverts already got some good practice on entertaining themselves, the extroverts seem to be massively struggling. In this entirely digital era, we take the easy route and completely immerse ourselves in all kinds of social media, whether it’s Instagram our Tik Tok (which we still do not understand). However, an intriguing though passed our minds, what would people in the 70’s do if they had to self-isolate? Without the internet (or The Sims) we are left to our own devices. After brainstorming we came up with a list of retro things to do, that you can enjoy alone or over a glass of wine and a Zoom with your pals.
Let us know what you’ve been up to and we’ll update our list.
START A PAINTING
Well, that’s an obvious one, but let’s be honest for how long have you been putting this aside? So many things to explore here, and one of our favourites, naked body painting. Why not, it’s not like you have better things to do? If you can’t get your hand on a canvas, be creative!
PICK UP A MAGAZINE
We don’t want to be too obvious with this one, but The Disco mag is a great start! With our busy lives, we forget about how much we enjoyed flipping through magazines, even if we do, we don’t tend to engage with every single piece of content. Go on and support all the small publishers, with so many amazing titles out there, something inevitably will grab your attention. We are also obsessed with reading through archival mags (cheaply available on eBay), so treat yourself to that November 1971 Playboy!
DO A REAL VINTAGE WORKOUT
In a Yoga with Adrienne era, why not try something slightly ridiculous and vintage? If you don’t have an old school tape at home, vintage aerobics classes are available on YouTube. It also gives you a reason to finally take out that tight bodysuit!
Check our favourite workout here
CREATE A PLAYLIST FOR EVERY MOOD POSSIBLE
Do you know that feeling when you’re in that one specific mood but can’t find the perfect playlist to go with it? Now’s the chance to do it! Do one for each season, for each activity, for each time of the day.
Check out our playlists here
PLANT SOMETHING
I mean, who doesn’t like plants? Maybe start with planting some herbs (fun to grow and useful!). Probably by the time we’re done with the lockdown you’ll have fully grown plant babies. And if you already have too many plants, give them some attention – repot them, trim them, clean them.
COOK SOME OF THE 70’s FAVOURITES
Ever wondered how the 70’s taste like? We found some of the most popular recipes of the ’70s (the vegan versions of course) so get on cooking:
- Chicken Aloha – swap the chicken for tofu or vegan meat substitute of your choice
WATCH SOME MOVIES THAT WILL TAKE YOU BACK IN TIME
Revisit your all-time favourites or take a look back at the movies you loved as a child. Perhaps do an Audrey Hepburn marathon or take a look at our top 10 films about the ’70s here.
LEARN HOW TO MACRAMÉ
Macramé was the big hit of the ’70s, and of course, it reappeared with the rising popularity of Pinterest DIYs. Instead of buying one, why not get creative and learn how to macramé? Find yourself a stick from your front yard, some macramé cord and get on with creating your own DIY hanging pieces. Who knows, maybe you’ll get good enough and start your own Etsy shop?
Here is a beginners guide that takes you through all the knots
ORGANISE YOUR RECORDS
Whether it’s alphabetically, colour coded or by genres, I’m sure this will be a very satisfying experience.
REDECORATE YOUR HOME
Since you finally have the time, perhaps you should revisit those saved home DIY’s that you never had the time to do. Maybe you have an old Ikea shelf that could be repainted? Or perhaps you’re in a mood for a change and decide to completely move your furniture around. We’ll be stuck indoors for a while so we might just as well upgrade our surroundings.
DAILY THEMED OUTFITS
Are you finding it hard to motivate yourself while sitting in those PJ’s? We propose themed daily outfits, cowboys on Mondays, glam rock on Tuesdays, mod on Wednesdays, bohemian on Thursdays, disco on Fridays, Mick Jagger on Saturdays and boudoir & gowns on Sundays. It will be fun, we promise!
LEARN HOW TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT
All of us at one point in our life picked up an instrument, and then after seeing lack of progress we decided we will simply never become the next Jimi. However, surprise, surprise any instrument will require lots of practice, some pain and patience. So since you have all the time, why not try to practice once per day?
LEARN A LANGUAGE
If you’re one of those people who quit French after high school but still use voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir as a pick up line, this one is for you! One hour per day is enough for you to make significant improvements and perhaps even be close to fluent by the end of this madness.