How do I switch from realism to Impressionism and preserve light?

[Matthew38]

I've been painting in a realistic style for years but recently fell in love with the loose, light-filled quality of Impressionism after visiting a museum exhibition, and now I'm struggling to break my own habits of over-blending and tight detail. My attempts to capture the fleeting effect of sunlight on a garden path end up looking messy and unresolved rather than vibrant and suggestive. For artists who have made a similar transition, what practical techniques or mindset shifts helped you embrace the principles of Impressionism? How do you approach color mixing and brushwork to achieve that sense of atmospheric light without the painting becoming a formless blur, and do you have any recommended exercises for studying the movement beyond just copying famous works?