Progress Looks Different for Everyone

What Does Progress Mean to You? 

Mental Health Month theme this year is” Taking Steps on Your Wellbeing Journey".This theme focuses on recognising and celebrating progress, no matter how small, towards better mental health and wellbeing.

We see every day that progress looks different for everyone. The dictionary defines progress as “movement forwards or towards a place.” When it comes to being human, progress isn’t always straightforward. It isn’t a neat checklist or a finish line you suddenly cross.

When you first see a therapist, you might spend time talking through what brought you there, what feels difficult right now, and where you’d like to be instead. You may set goals, like easing symptoms of anxiety, improving relationships, or finding more balance in your daily life. Those goals matter. But what we also know to be true is that what progress may look like for one individual is not the same for everyone else, and it most certainly isn’t a linear process. 

Sometimes progress is brushing your teeth at 3pm. Saying “no” when you’re at capacity. Asking for help. Resting without guilt. Beginning again after a setback. 

Ultimately, to honour your progress is to honour where you are at in your wellbeing journey and not comparing that to what someone else’s progress might look like. 

What Progress Means to Us

We asked our team “What Does Progress Mean to You?”, and here’s what they shared:

“Learning from mistakes rather than seeing them and myself as a failure.”

“Progress is celebrating the small wins. It’s a gradual process, small steps to achieving the larger goals.”

“Showing up for myself even when it feels hard.”

“Progress looks like becoming more comfortable with what is, rather than suppressing while we focus on what we would prefer to be. Growth and alignment comes from being comfortable to move through, rather than running away from ourselves and our internal world.”

“Progress for me means listening to my body and saying no to respect my needs without guilt.”

“Progress isn’t linear. For me it looks like navigating expansion and contraction with a growing capacity that wasn't there before. Being okay to be with it all, as it's all part of being human.”

“Seeing the positives in the small things during the day.”

“Being able to reflect on why you did something and trying to be more conscious next time, and do it differently.”

“To me, progress looks like one small decision, one different response or thought, one minor change in a habit - which all equate to a larger outcome. It’s also knowing that bad days are inevitable and aren't a reflection of you failing or not progressing.”

“Progress is a journey that can look different each day. Progress is about perspective.”

“Learning to read my needs and allowing space to rest or readjust without judgement. Giving myself a break on harder days and knowing they are also part of the journey. Hard moments allow space for reflection and change”.

Their reflections remind us that progress isn’t about perfection.

Progress Looks Different for Everyone is about reflecting on, celebrating, and making visible all of those steps,  big or small, forward, sideways, or non-linear.

This is important to name, because many people don’t always think about progress in these ways. We’re taught to measure progress in big, visible milestones, so when our journey looks different (smaller steps, quiet moments, or non linear movement) it’s easy to feel like we’re not progressing at all.

Recognising progress in all its forms helps shift that mindset. It allows us to see and celebrate the ways we are moving forward, even if it doesn’t look like we expected.

What Might Progress Look Like for You? 

Progress can show up in countless ways. Sometimes it's visible. Sometimes it’s quiet and unseen. Sometimes it’s starting over. 

Maybe it’s every day progress; the tiny daily actions that often get dismissed but matter. It could be making the bed in the morning, packing lunch instead of buying, or tidying one corner of a room that’s been bothering you. 

Maybe it's progress in asking for help; telling a partner “I need some space”, calling a friend just to talk, or delegating a task at work. 

Maybe it’s invisible progress, the things that no one sees but takes real effort; choosing to leave a noisy space before being overwhelmed, letting yourself cry instead of holding back the tears, or stopping the doom scroll when you realise it made you anxious. 

Maybe it's non-linear progress, even if that means starting over again; beginning a morning routine again, trialling a new medication, or returning to a coping strategy that used to help. 

We invite you to pause and ask yourself:

What does progress look like for me?

Because your progress, whatever shape it takes, is worth noticing, honouring, and celebrating.