Create a More Flexible Mind

Create a More Flexible Mind

By Leo Babauta

Posted on June 22, 2026

Source

There was a time in my life when I was addicted to junk food, fast food, comfort foods. These days, I still enjoy the taste of those foods, but nothing tastes as good as healthy, whole foods.

The switch for me was gradual, not instant. It was also intentional. And I’m so glad I made the change.

These days, I eat mostly whole plant foods (I’m vegan): beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, tofu and tempeh, whole grains, lots of veggies, lots of fruit. And it’s delicious.

I also mostly cut out sugar and fried foods, and completely cut out meats and other animal products including dairy, and am currently not drinking alcohol (for the last 5 months). These changes don’t feel like sacrifices to me.

If you’d like to make the switch to loving healthy food, let’s look at how to make it painless, delicious, and very much not a sacrifice.

What We’re Moving Toward

It can be really helpful to start by envisioning what you’d like to move toward — what would a healthy diet look like for you? What kinds of healthy foods would you like to include? (Don’t limit yourself to what you already like.)

You don’t have to envision a vegan diet (although maybe consider it!) … just think about what would be healthy for you. I encourage you to think about whole foods over processed.

For me, I love to include healthy bowls: grains with proteins (tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils) and veggies and a simple sauce or hummus. Maybe some nuts or seeds to go with it. I also love huge salads with all of these things included, or soups or chili full of beans and veggies. But you could think of healthy tacos, stir-fries, or wraps.

Envision the healthy meals, and try to think of them in a positive light — not only will these help make you healthier, they are delicious and lovely!

Making a Slow, Lovely Transition

Now that we have the vision, I encourage a slow transition. You might be tempted to go for the whole enchilada (so to speak) right away … and if that feels super doable to you, go for it. But sometimes it can help to go slower.

For example, maybe there are some healthy foods that you don’t really like — green vegetables, tomatoes, beans, for example. Maybe you’re interested in tofu or tempeh but aren’t used to them. Maybe you are used to lots of sugar and fried foods and eating foods that don’t have added sugar and aren’t fried seems terrible to you.

In that case, here’s what I suggest:

• Start with the healthy changes that would be easy for you. If you already like apples, feel free to just add apples for now. Maybe you also like carrots. Add those too! Get some easy wins.
• Gradually add the other things that don’t feel so intimidating. No need to buy everything you hate and try to thug it out. Go with the ones you can tolerate reasonably well, and start to acclimatize yourself in them.
• Focus on savoring and enjoyment. As you pay close attention, and try to find the elements of the textures and tastes that you enjoy, you’ll start to appreciate the food more.
• Harder foods: there will be foods you don’t love — but you can grow to love them, if you slowly acclimatize yourself and start to appreciate the more subtle qualities of the food. I have grown to love so many healthy foods that I didn’t before. Sometimes it helps to season them in a way that’s more palatable, or try different ways to prepare. Give yourself time.

There’s no rush. You have a lifetime to learn to enjoy these foods.

The Role of Identity

This kind of shift requires a shift in identity. You might think of yoursef as someone who doesn’t like these kinds of foods, or someone who “has to have” their sugar drinks or snacks, for example. This is your old identity.

A new identity could be someone who love all kinds of healthy, delicious foods, and someone who doesn’t need junk food to be happy or to deal with stress. It’s a new identity that’s resilient in the face of stress.

So my encouragement is to start to shift how you see yourself. Let go of the old, limiting way you think about yourself in relation to food. And start to craft a new version, that is empowered and ready to enjoy a new kind of life.

with love,

Leo Babauta

Zen Habits

• https://zenhabits.net/

Create a More Flexible Mind

Create a More Flexible Mind

By Leo Babauta

Posted on June 7, 2025

Most people become flustered or frustrated when things don’t go according to plan. I’ve felt this way myself — I have a plan for the day, and all kinds of things come up to get in the way of that plan, and it can feel really frustrating.

This is the result of a lack of flexibility in our mindset. It’s natural to have a lack of flexibility — we really want things to go according to our plan, it helps us to feel like we’re in control and there’s order to our lives. Unfortunately, we rarely have that kind of control or order, and that can be really tough.

So let’s talk about how to develop a flexible mind.

The Benefits of a Flexible Mind

Why have that kind of flexibility?

Here’s what I’ve noticed with a flexible mind:

• We can adapt more quickly when things don’t go according to plan
• We get less frustrated, and more focused on what needs to be done
• We can focus and be on task, even if things aren’t in the perfect state
• We’re able to flow better when circumstances are shifting quickly
• We spend less time preparing for what might happen and more time in the moment
• Things that freak others out are often not that big of a deal

I don’t mean that a flexible mindset will guarantee that you’ll always be calm, focused, and flowing … but those are some of the benefits I’ve seen through this kind of approach.

So now the question is how do we develop this kind of flexible mind?

How to Develop a Flexible Mind

The first step is to simply set an intention that you’re going to have a flexible approach to life. You might write the word “Flexible” or “Flow” on a note to yourself, to keep it front and center in your mind.

Second is to practice. When things change, can you let go of how you thought it should be? When someone acts in a way that would normally frustrate you, can you let go of how you think they should act and practice some acceptance? Can you flow with changes? You don’t have to be perfect at it, just think of these as skills to be practicing every day. Give them a try, and do your best.

Third, bring awareness to when your mind has a more rigid approach. The way to notice is when you get frustrated, flustered, or disappointed. These are not problems, but merely signs of your mind clinging and being rigid. When they happen, just pause, take a few breaths, let your emotions soothe for a minute. Then see if you can practice the flexibility: how can you let go of how you think things should be, and open to how things are? How can you flow with things?

That’s easier with some things than others. It might be easier to go with the flow for something not so important to you, but if you were really counting on something, it’s much harder. That’s OK — just do what you can. This isn’t about being perfect (that’s rigid thinking) but about practicing whenever you’re able.

Things will progress if you keep practicing. When you get frustrated or disappointed with yourself, notice these as signs of rigidity, and see if you can soothe your nervous system and let go of what you thought you should be doing. When you fall on your face, take a moment to reflect on what happened, bringing curiosity, so you can learn and understand better.

Over time, you’ll notice a better ability to let go and flow. You’ll still get annoyed, but maybe it’ll be not such a big deal anymore. You’ll be able to adapt when things change, and find some calm focus even when your circumstances are messy.

My wish for you is a life of flexibility and happiness.

with love,

Leo Babauta

Zen Habits

• https://zenhabits.net/