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I used to feel like the only way to “improve” myself and work towards my goals was to change everything about my lifestyle all at once. Squashing every bad habit immediately and adding in all of the “good” ones I’ve read about online. If I just quit all of these things and start doing all of these new things, I’ll feel better, and I’ll look better, and I’ll be more successful. This doesn’t work. All it does is create a paralysis problem.Â
I could spend years of my life reading about and preparing for these new, supposedly all-powerful, life-changing habits to incorporate. But my sense of perfectionism will keep me from ever actually implementing them in a meaningful way. Plus, if I do actually start an entirely new lifestyle regimen, I’m very likely to lose the motivation to keep it up, pretty quickly. You can’t change everything at once. That’s exhausting and really hard to keep up with.
Instead, I’ve found that it can be the smallest habits that can make the most meaningful change in how I feel and how my day-to-day life flows. The bigger changes, like going to the gym, a consistent study routine, a new diet—all of these things are fine, but the tiny habits get looked over in their shadow. It’s easier to change one small thing at a time and stay motivated to keep up with it, which allows the positive benefits of that habit to compound over time before you give up on it.Â
One such habit for me has been making a daily protein smoothie. I used to love smoothies, but for a lot of my college experience, making a smoothie seemed like too much work. So I put it off. Eventually, I remembered how much of a nice sweet treat a smoothie is, and I got a tiny blender from Target for about $20. Now, I’ve dedicated myself to having a smoothie everyday. I blend up frozen fruit, greek yogurt, a vanilla protein powder, and a creatine powder. This smoothie isn’t a magical quick fix for all of the gaps I may have in my diet or for my mental health…but it’s an easy way for me to get extra protein, and there is research being done about the impacts of creatine for helping with symptoms of anxiety and depression (meaning it’s not just for gym bros, like it’s marketing may want you to believe)!Â
Because I’ve found a smoothie recipe I really like, and an easy blender to use and clean, I’ve been able to stick with this habit. I’m way more committed to breakfast now, which is important for fueling my brain and body! I’m feeling more motivated than ever to add some more tiny habits into my routine that will add up! You’d be surprised how many little things turn out to be even more helpful than those bigger, more obvious lifestyle changes.