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10 realistic habits that helped me get my life together (as an anxious 20-something)

Morgan Evelyn Cook

653,653 views

Check out the sponsor of this video at https://betterhelp.com/morgancook to get matched with a therapist who can support you right from the comfort of your own home. 😊

I hope you enjoy today's video! Let me know in the comments which habit resonated most with you. And of course if you have any tips, tricks, habits or routines that have helped you get your life together, please feel free to share those as well. 💛

📖 TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00 – 02:15 Intro
02:16 – 03:40: Having menus instead of routines
03:41 – 04:55: Going to therapy even when "I have nothing to talk about"
04:56 – 06:23: Working outside my home
06:24 – 07:07: Scrapbook journaling
07:08 – 08:33: Micro cleans instead of big cleans
08:34 – 10:11: Finding exercise I actually like
10:12 – 11:15: Making my skincare routine a ritual I look forward to
11:16 – 12:26: Having a magnesium night cap
12:27 – 13:40: Tracking my spending
13:41 – 15:45: Living life for current me, not 50 year old me
15:46 – 17:26: Conclusion

∞ Links:
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Wardrobe Tracking Template: https://www.etsy.com/listing/16422907...
Conscious Consumption Bundle (Financial & Wardrobe Tracker): https://www.etsy.com/listing/16422982...

📱 FIND ME ELSEWHERE
IG: Instagram: morganevelyncook
TT: TikTok: morganevelyncook

🎧 MUSIC:
Music from epidemic sound https://www.epidemicsound.com

🙋‍♀️ ABOUT ME:
My name is Morgan and I'm a 20-something living in Chicago who loves thrifting, slow fashion (slow living in general), caring for the planet, tea (the liquid kind and the dramatic kind), being outdoors, having deep conversations, having frivolous conversations, and of course making silly lil videos. I hope you have a laugh, learn something new, or feel little less alone while you're here. 💛

💌 FOR INQUIRIES: morganevelynmedia@gmail.com

20 Comments

@TheOriginalDalamanza 2 years ago (edited) Pinned

The best thing I've learnt is to work with and around my 'flaws' rather than assuming that tomorrow I'll wake up and suddenly be cleaner, more productive, procrastinate less etc.

E.g., for ages I'd tidy my dresser by neatly lining all the products up and putting everything back in drawers/on shelves. But there's no way I'm doing that after getting ready in a rush in the morning. Now I have a big bowl on my dresser, which means I can basically still drop everything after using it, but at least it's all self-contained and looks neater.

Same with reading. I used to read loads and I've tried building the habit back in, but its always the first thing to slip as soon as I'm busy/tired/stressed. On the other hand, I always have my headphones in, so listening to an audiobook is a much more organic change for me to make and I've been able to 'read' a lot more.

There's lots more examples I could think of, but hopefully you get the idea! Work with yourself and don't hold yourself to such high standards

@Peachespayton 2 years ago (edited)

Please do your research before recommending better help.. there is SO many people out there that have been affected by better help in a very negative way and it is honestly disheartening that creators are still taking sponsorships from them and recommending them to their audience.

@ilTHfeaa 2 years ago

the idea of menus just maybe changed my life holy shit i need to start using that

@StrayingBat 2 years ago

My favorite thing about this video, is the fact that you're just living your life while you're filming. You aren't showing us a perfect background while talking about how you struggle, you're existing while doing content creation - and for ME, that is very comfy cozy, and I love that.

@cookie31989 2 years ago

As a gamer girly I set it all up as "Daily quests" and "Weekly quests" 😊
And then I have a list of side quests, the stuff I can do if a feel like I have enough energy. It can be stuff that I have thought about but is not a necessity or urgent (like changing the curtains or buying something that I think will improve my home etc.)😄

@Jojob.5176 2 years ago

My biggest change was simplifying my routines. I felt so overwhelmed just by the concept of a 10-step shower routine, a 15-step morning routine, or a 8-step skincare routine. So by simplifying things to the bare necessities made my life so much easier.

@lisafreeman5813 1 year ago

Dearest Morgan - I am so moved by your video. As a 59 year old woman, I wish I could have seen this when I was 25. I know it would have been so meaningful and helpful. I'm sure other commentors have said this same thing: it does not change. I still wait to "grow up" and "have my life together." I want to tell you that what you are doing right now, these habits you are cultivating, is the single biggest self-care act-of-love you can do. I try not to have regret about my past and stay focused on the present. There is still so much for a 59 year old woman to look forward to, right? :-) Wishing you all the best, Lisa

@BrainPlusBlender 2 years ago

1:55 “I don’t think mountains implode on themselves.”

Don’t worry, in this analogy I am both the mountain and the fracking company.

@RZTree 2 years ago

Along with not living only for future you, I like to ask myself if future me would actually care or remember whatever I'm currently stressed about

@ilTHfeaa 2 years ago (edited)

being 28 - i’ve definitely felt the “y’know.. maybe 40” 😂😂

update: 29 now and really trying to be more like “ you know, maybe 30” 😅

@belovedsummerdays 2 years ago

the high 5 was very satisfying

@liawindsor861 2 years ago

as a fellow anxious 20-something who has been struggling with managing anxiety+adulthood, this video was just the most comforting watch <3

@lindk1775 2 years ago

Its such a good advise to stop thinking you will one day have everything together. There will always be something and that makes you not enjoy what you have now. Like those people that work really really hard to earn a lot of money for retirement but miss their childrens entire childhood because they were always working. We should stay in the now and enjoy what we have

@twistedfrannie9311 2 years ago

High fives are ❤
I use the fine china , crystal and silver....I recently went into remission from Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was diagnosed I thought " ok this could be the end, why have I been saving these things for only "special" occasions ? I am the occasion!!!"

@allisarcadia 2 years ago

Working outside the home works well, typically, for people with adhd and autism symptoms because the break from home not only gives you permission to focus on work but also limits the distractions being at home can cause. You’re not distracted by chores or pets or video games or other random daily things that are “your responsibility” when at home.

@dendritolotl 2 years ago

I think in the end we have to find a balance between caring for us now and caring for us in the future. Like retirement savings are important but also being happy now is important

@alexisliane316 2 years ago

Hi, 40 here, I'm thinking I'll have it sorted out by 45. But this time... I mean it!
Just do the thing now. Do the things you want to do instead of talking about doing them whenever you "feel ready" or "after I lose weight" or "when I'm rich".
I'm on my 3rd life crisis, but I feel more confidently heading into the resolution half of that narrative. :)

@solaramazin3704 2 years ago (edited)

At first i was like "ugh another productivity guru who's going to recite atomic habits", but your tips were actually genuine and realistic for people like me who are struggling with anxiety. Also the last bit about your conversation with your therapist (living for future you instead of present you) resonated with me quite a lot. Thanks for sharing your experience, new subscriber!

@londonfroglatte 2 years ago

I also share a fear of people looking at my laptop screen in cafes even though it's nothing incriminating, so much so that I would leave the cafe if I couldn't find a private spot against the wall. I told my boyfriend about this and he said "Why don't you just get a privacy screen?" I didn't even know that was an option! So I looked them up and it's just a plastic screen you can magnet onto your laptop and it obscures everything unless you're looking at the screen straight on. If someone is sitting next to you or slightly off to the side behind you, the screen looks completely black to them. It's life changing!

@denisef5217 2 years ago

I love the morning menu idea.
That’s how I get myself to workout. I’d doesn’t matter what I do, it’s only important that I do something. If I don’t feel like weight lifting or running, k can do yoga. If I am not able to do 1h, I can just do 15min. Everything counts. We should be nice to ourselves:)