Slow progress is still progress.

I came across a Pin with this sentence and it was exactly what I needed in that moment; a reminder that I wanted to share with you.

For two years, I have been battling a physical pain that demands the most of me. In the beginning, I couldn't leave my bed. I stayed inside the four walls of my room, staring at the ceiling. Because I was extremely sensitive to lights and sounds, no form of entertainment was possible, and instead, I laid in bed all day, until after a few weeks, even the horizontal position became boring.

After a long time, I started living again. I went outside, just for small moments, but outside anyway. The pain was still there, but I was done being inside and instead found ways to deal with it.

And slowly, I got better. Slowly though, because I'm still dealing with the pain and it's still a major factor in my life. Every once in a while, the pain becomes so bad that I can't leave my bed again. On those days, I forget about all the days I was slowly getting better and fall back into the trap of thinking that nothing has changed in those two years. This week was an example of that.

But slow progress is still progress.

And even though I fall back every once in a while and experience the pain like it's never left, it was better. I did get better. I could go outside, first only for a few minutes, but more and more as time went on. I can go grocery shopping now. I can binge Netflix series. I can go to the gym.

That's progress.

Even if it doesn't feel like it. Even if the pain returns every once in a while like it's never left. Even if it took me two years to get here.

I'm progressing.