Some days ago someone posted a sentence that has really stuck with me since: 'sometimes self care means being disciplined'. If. That. Ain't. The. Truth.

For years I rolled my eyes when people mentioned self care because it usually was the same libfem temporary feel good trite over and over : bubble baths, eating a family size pizza, binging on chocolate and smoking a blunt. All of this stuff except maybe the bubble bath is bad for your body and will make you feel even worse after. As someone who struggled with depression and exhaustion from autoimmune diseases for many years that kind of 'self care' did me no good at all - in fact I felt even more defeated afterwards.

What did help me? D I S C I P L I N E

I started keto because my lockdown weight gain bothered me a lot and with strict keto came mental clarity I have never before experienced in my whole adult life. Brain fog, depressive episodes and exhaustion and bloating were gone after just one week on keto.

I always took my self for a marathon sleeper who needs 10 hours sleep on weekends to make up for the work week. I had huge problems getting up early during the week and I was basically struggling not to fall asleep at my work desk almost every day. After working I had no energy left for anything besides putting dishes in the dishwasher.

Now I rediscovered cooking again ffs. I cook myself delicious and elaborate healthy meals (mostly Chinese cuisine) every night for dinner. I'm not tired anymore and seven hours sleep per night is perfectly sufficient. On weekends I set the alarm clock at 07:30 because in winter I don't want to miss out on daylight.

In summary : my keto regimen is strict (under 20g carbs a day) and I also restrict calories - self care as in discipline was the best I could wish for. It also does something to you mentally : I feel proud of myself and HV because I'm finally able to stick with something healthy and beneficial. Y Just wanted to share this with you ladies. I think during winter and a new lockdown these kind of things are more important then ever.