Getting off track can make you feel like you've undone all of your progress. It's simply not true. If you're not convinced, read on.

Have you ever had one of those stretches of time where you were really productive? Where your executive dysfunction took a break and you were actually able to follow through with your goals? Maybe you attended all of your classes and stayed on top of your school work, making you feel like an academic weapon. Or you woke up early to exercise 4-5 times a week for at least a month. That toxic situationship you were in? You blocked all of their socials and phone number so you wouldn't be tempted to reach out. Basically, you were a rockstar. All of that time, effort, and experience paid off.

Then, life happens. Maybe it's a few bad days where nothing seems to go right. Maybe the intrusive thoughts start winning, or you experience some intense mood swings. You just feel off. You skip school to take some mental health days and fall behind on your assignments. You sleep through your alarms and lose motivation. Maybe you were feeling lonely and gave into the urge to stalk your ex on social media, knowing that it would make you feel worse. It sucks. All of that time, effort, and hard work now seems like it was for nothing. You're back at square one, right? Not quite.

Even if you feel like you've gone backwards, whether it was just a stumble or a full on crash, you haven't completely undone the progress you made. You still get credit for those classes you attended and the assignments you handed in. You still completed all of those workouts. You set boundaries for yourself, even when it felt difficult or nearly impossible. You gained knowledge, life experience, and learned from your mistakes. Nobody can take those things away from you. All of the lessons you have learned along the way are still there, you just have to remember them.
If you are struggling with guilt and shame from getting off track, you are certainly not alone. It's totally relatable to feel proud of yourself one day then disappointed in yourself the next when you don't meet your own expectations. Just remember that a bad day doesn't need to turn into a bad week, and losing momentum doesn't mean you've failed. Sometimes it's easy to get back on track, but unfortunately that's not always the case. Mental health struggles, life stressors, and unexpected events can absolutely play a role in your ability to start over again. Think of it as a life pause rather than a full stop. You will take action when you're ready as long as you believe in yourself, remember all of those lessons you have learned, and be willing to begin again. You will never stop learning and growing.
As you start over, remember that you don't have to do it alone. It's OK to ask for help from friends, loved ones, or even professionals. Have them help you figure out what got you off track last time so they can check in and support you this time around. Let them show up for you and celebrate along with you. The most important thing you can do is to keep trying and remember, focus on progress over perfection. Just keep going. You really are doing better than you think.
Comments