Just when we were getting used to safely going out and practising social distancing while eating out and visiting pubs, we're thrust into a second lockdown.

Ideally, we should be more prepared this time, knowing already what to expect in the uncertainty of the days. This lockdown should be more different because we've lived through one already and instead of trying to grasp the when and the what, we have a more fleshed out idea of what will go down.

The lockdown is not a competition as to who can make the best Dalgona coffee or banana bread. There's no award for whoever has accomplished the most. We've already done that, and so many have experienced fatigue trying to achieve so much considering the circumstances.

This time, we need to be kinder to ourselves and deliberately more understanding. We begin this second lockdown while entering the winter season. No doubt, it's easy to fall into despair. So instead of beating yourself up because you've yet to learn a new language, we implore you instead to focus your energy with at least one activity.

What we also want to avoid is becoming sedentary and surrender to the messy and lazy version of ourselves. These four suggestions should give you an idea of what you can do while we're in lockdown. Just choose one! Do whatever you want throughout the day whether it's binge-watching a new series or scrolling through social media. But allocate time to do one of these activities.

Four Things You Can Do For Your Self-Care:

1. Pick up a book and read. You've seen this on many listicles for a reason. Reading improves your mental health, and it is scientifically proven to make you smarter too! We're not talking about finishing 30 books in the next 2 months. That's not the goal here.

Pick up one book. Perhaps that one tome you always pretend to have read. Read it slowly. Take 10 or 20 pages a day, or read it all in three days. It's up to you!

2. Start Journaling. Years from now, how do you want to look back to this moment? Journaling is a great way to express your ideas and intimate thoughts. It also allows you to chronicle your daily life during this pandemic.

The same rule follows. Start with 1 word, write only 3 sentences or take a full page. Pace yourself. What's important is you are consistent.

3. Do an 'easy' exercise. Again, we are not aiming for that summer body. Let's be real. Start with something that you can commit to doing once a day. Exercises shouldn't be technically easy, but they can be simple. Think 1-minute planks or just 10 jumping jacks. Don't push yourself to do more. Just make sure you do them every day.

4. Cleaning The House. When none of the first 3 activities strikes your fancy. Then take this one activity that you should do anyway. Start by breaking down your place into small 30 minute corners. The thought of cleaning your whole apartment is too daunting. But, if you schedule 30 minutes to 1 hour of the day cleaning specific portions, it feels more achievable. By the end of the week, you will have done more than not cleaning at all!