By UB's Joyce Marter, LCPC:
Whether we are in therapy, in recovery or merely on the journey of life, progress is not linear. We do not go from A to Z in terms of developing emotionally, relationally, spiritually or in our careers or life's work. Hitting roadblocks should be considered normal - we all have setbacks - and everybody periodically regresses into old emotional, behavioral and relational patterns. This does not mean we are back to square 1 or that we are not on the road to wellness. We are just going through a loop in life, which seems to be part of the human condition, a natural process of development.
Each time we go through a loop, we recreate an old, familiar pattern. The hope is that as we learn, develop, become more conscious and make progress in our lives, the lows will not be as low and our baseline functioning will still trend upwards over time. When you hit a loop or a challenge in your life, do not worry that you are not making progress.
Get back on a progress track by implementing self-care practices such as:
Each time we go through a loop, we recreate an old, familiar pattern. The hope is that as we learn, develop, become more conscious and make progress in our lives, the lows will not be as low and our baseline functioning will still trend upwards over time. When you hit a loop or a challenge in your life, do not worry that you are not making progress.
Get back on a progress track by implementing self-care practices such as:
- taking care of your health
- practicing mindfulness
- thinking positively
- accessing your support network