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A couple days ago I ate two bowls of pudding within, like, thirty minutes. It made me realize that I have a sugar problem.

Over the past several months I've been chipping away at my bad habits, trying to change them into good ones. Most recently I drastically reduced my social media time. Now I don't even doomscroll. That was a huge change for me. Back then, it felt like any spare moment I had was filled with scrolling through The Discourse, whatever it happened to be at the moment. It's taken a few weeks, but I don't feel the urge to open reddit anymore. That's why I think I'm finally ready to tackle the other habits I'd like to change.

The difference is, social media and all that is psychological. Changing food habits can be so much more difficult. Not only do you experience the typical urges to do the thing, you can also experience physical withdrawal symptoms. It's wild because I've stopped drinking coffee a few times, and the only withdrawal symptom I got was feeling tired. But decreasing my added sugar intake down to recommended levels has given me a headache and seemingly made my anxiety spike too. I love coffee, but sugar is my true weakness.

I know the next step after this is to start exercising more. I want to start now, but something tells me to take it slow, that I should allow my body to get used to the change in sugar levels. Today is only my second day of reducing added sugars, and I know it's easiest to relapse within the first few days of any major change.

It can feel pretty daunting. There are so many habits I want to change, and so many things I want to do instead. I need to remember that I can take my time, and as long as I'm making positive changes, it's a step in the right direction, even if it feels slow going.