What is Non-Linear Progress? The Key to Getting Active with Chronic Illness (and Other Health Setbacks)

A Coach's Perspective on Embracing Your Unpredictable Journey

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or therapist. This blog is based on personal experience and is for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified medical and/or mental health professional before starting anything new. Full Disclaimer can be found at the bottom of this page. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Maybe you’ve heard me mention it before, or maybe not. But you likely clicked on this blog post wondering, “What is non-linear progress? Is that what I'm going through?”

This concept may be the single most important thing I have come to understand as both a sport coach and someone with chronic illness. It's also been one of the hardest to accept.

We’ve all seen those charts showing different kinds of progress (like the generic one above), where there’s valleys and peaks but ultimately an upward trend. That is how most people view progress, especially in physical activity. You have good days and ‘off’ days, but ultimately, you are getting better at whatever it is you are working on.

That isn’t exactly what I’m talking about.

I’m talking about the fact that some days, I can swing a leg over my horse and take on any challenge. My horse is acting up? No problem, I laugh. I want to go for a gallop across the field? Let’s go. I load the arrow in one smooth motion and I hit the target with semi-accuracy (I’m still learning this part but if the arrows aren’t in the grass, that’s a win). I’m feeling good, strong and smiling the whole time.

Then there are the other days... The ones where I can’t get on my horse. The days I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if I tried. All my arrows are in the grass. Days I can’t turn my head. Days I can’t stand without swaying. Days I can’t even stand.

How am I supposed to get better if I can’t do those things? All the progress and milestones I achieved on those good days seem to vanish overnight. It’s not that it’s just an ‘off’ day where I can still see the progress from where I started.

It’s like I’ve made no progress at all. And this can last for days. For weeks, even.

Was it all an illusion? How good am I actually? How can I tell I’ve improved if my skill level is wildly different every single day?

When you’re dealing with chronic illness, nothing is the tidy little upward slanted squiggle line. It’s a roller coaster designed during a fever dream. But it’s also not failure. It’s not ‘no progress.’ It’s not pointless.

It’s the path of non-linear progress. And learning to navigate it is actually radically impressive. It’s made me a better coach, both to myself and to others. It’s taught me how to roll with the punches. How to allow myself to accept the bad days. To learn when to push and when to pivot. When to adapt and when to simply rest.

To understand that some days, you and your dance partner (your body) flow, and others, your body steps on both your feet every time you start the music.

I’ve been there over and over again. This is what I’ve learned about navigating non-linear progress and the strategies I've used to work with it.

What Is Non-Linear Progress?

Laugh if you want, but I don’t hate those motivational videos where gym guys yell at you to get up and push through. 😅 I sometimes put them on, but I do pick and choose those days carefully. I’ve always been a bit of a ‘no pain, no gain’ person, which I think made navigating chronic illness so much more difficult. I had to change my entire worldview—my whole mindset about living life, approaching activities, and finding joy in the process.

It's been a long road, too. Nearly a decade of back and forth, of pushing and flaring, of feeling good then terrible. Of moving a dozen steps forward and sliding a dozen steps backwards. But somehow I've come out the other side with some wisdom to share.

So, what exactly is non-linear progress?

Now, this isn't a formal definition by any means. The term “non-linear progress” is loosely used in physical therapies, counselling, and fitness for a variety of situations where progress can be fraught with setbacks and other challenges.

For me, based on my experience getting active again and learning a new sport with chronic illness, it's when your access to skills and abilities fluctuates unpredictably. You're not actually losing progress—symptoms, energy levels, or other factors are just blocking your access to what's still there underneath.

Even healthy people experience non-linear progress. I've seen that look of frustration in many people's eyes, regardless of their background, experience, or health status.

But chronic illness and other health challenges amplify it.

This probably sounds familiar: You’re doing pretty good for a few weeks, going at your own pace and improving. Then the weather changes, hormones shift, stress hits, and suddenly your ‘baseline’ isn’t your baseline anymore. And that can go on for a weirdly long time—you might spend weeks just trying to climb back to your previous level.

Even I have fallen into the mind trap of thinking, “If I just practice a little every day, I’ll get better and better.”

Ha.

“Every day.”

Now that is a fever dream. As of writing this, I just spent the last week unable to do much more than make food and eat. And even that was iffy.

But non-linear progress doesn't work that way. Some days I have full access to my skills, other days I can barely access the basics. The skills are not lost, but various health fluctuations are blocking access to them.

This isn’t a character flaw. It’s not a lack of dedication to my chosen careers. It’s simply how my body works. It's how it recovers from life upheaval or recent intense stress. It needs those times of recovery.

Those fluctuations are normal, but are made more visible by chronic illness.

From Struggle to Flow: The Realization that Helped Take the Edge Off

I’m not saying that the chronic illness whiplash doesn’t take a mental toll. It does. And sometimes it hurts. A lot.

Being an equestrian has added a layer of accepting that some days I don’t go see my horse.

But let’s talk about the intensive, for a moment. Not too long ago, I arranged a 4-day intensive with a mounted archery coach (an amazing experience). Despite that it poured rain the entire time, and I mostly missed the targets altogether, I felt like a goddess. Taryn: Warrior Princess (if you get that reference, we might be soul sisters).

And then... Ah, the expected sound of the other shoe dropping.

Let me set the scene:

It was early spring where I did the intensive, but still fully winter where I live. That meant there was still snow, shoveling, jackets (can I say that some days, half my energy is used up just by getting dressed in winter clothing? Anyone else?), and carrying water to the horses.

Add into that: the post-intensive crash.

As a coach, I know that recovery has to be part of the journey. But sometimes, it feels hard to fit it in. (Un)Luckily, chronic illness is here to take that particular planning hiccough out of my hands.

While the whiplash from ‘goddess’ to ‘can’t brush my horse today’ is one that is slowly becoming a well worn path, this first one was a big, hard-to-swallow dose of non-linear progress.

Winter conditions, work stress, and recovery needs all conspired to wall off my access to everything I'd just experienced. I didn’t lose those skills I'd just learned, but I did lose access to them while I needed to give my health the space to rest and recover. But in the moment, when you're wanting to chase that goddess-like feeling, it can pull you down.

So, how do you handle the mental toll of the chronic illness whiplash? How can you get up, dust yourself off, and ask your partner to dance again after they knocked you over?

Well, there's actually 2 answers to this.

First, because it’s the dancing itself that’s fun. Allowing yourself to simply have fun while doing the activity helps build intrinsic motivation for doing it and counteracts some of the frustration. If you're focusing on the fun rather than the goals (especially at the beginning) you'll feel more up to trying it again even if you weren't that great at it.

Like when, every time that cha cha music comes on, you want to do those 2 or 3 dance steps you know. Maybe you don’t know them well, but you can’t help moving your feet along to the beat. So you do, and the moment you accept that maybe you're not great at it, but it's still fun, that's the moment you’re setting yourself up to start approaching activity differently.

It’s the moment you’ve accepted that the journey is worth more than the achievement. That non-linear progress is worth it. That fun and activity is better than fear and isolation.

And that brings us to the second answer: On the low days, you remember that your dance partner didn’t actually forget the steps. They’re still in there waiting for those medium to good days to come out and shine.

That's when things start to shift. Understanding non-linear progress is about seeing setbacks not as a personal failure, but as information about where you’re at and how your body is doing. It has little to do with your capability, and the skills you’ve learned still build over time. It’s the mental part that throws in the towel when the coin flips and chronic illness suddenly blocks your access again. By understanding how non-linear progress works, you learn to support yourself and free up some of that mental space to focus on what you can do on those low days, not what you can’t.

We all fall into the comparison trap, either to others or to our previous ‘illness-free’ selves. I did a lot. I was a go-getter. But understanding non-linear progress really helped me step out of that dark spiral of comparing myself to who I used to be. Helped me take stock of where I am right now. Helped me gain perspective and learn to take each day or week as it comes.

When taking up something new, frustration is part of the journey. Disappointment is part of the journey. Questioning whether you should quit is part of the journey. As a coach, I can tell you right now that everyone feels that. Every athlete who has ever lived has felt all of those things. You are not alone in feeling that way.

They're part of the human experience when we reach for something a little out of our grasp and stretch a little.

But I'm going to remind you: The acceptance of sucking some days shows commitment to agency. It's commitment to still find fun, to still try things, and it's the power to choose controlled risk instead of random chaos.

As I walk the non-linear journey, begin to understand it deeply, and develop strategies to work with the skills and energy I have available, it quiets the frustration and disappointment. Because what I ‘can’t’ do no longer bogs down my brain, I've started problem-solving what I can do while working with my body, my dance partner.

The Coach's Perspective On Why This Matters

It’s actually pretty embarrassing to admit how long it took for me to recognize this pattern. But sometimes, seeing it in others with patience and understanding is easier than applying that same patience to yourself. I've literally spent years teaching students to expect their horses (and themselves) to have 'off' days–some days they're responsive and eager, other days they're distracted or resistant. I plan lessons around this reality. But when it came to applying this same logic to my own body? Crickets.

A big part of dealing with horses is their unpredictability. Often there are signs of stress that tell you something is ‘off’ or might go wrong. But sometimes, a horse is fine with a flapping flag nearby and then loses it when a distant car alarm goes off. It happens. And a good equestrian coach knows how to teach through those moments and not get frustrated by it.

Working with horses, dogs, or any animal, you have to meet the animal where it’s at. Yesterday they may have had full access to their training, but today something is blocking that access – fear, distraction, physical discomfort. Sound familiar? My body works the same way. Learning takes time and repetition. And sometimes the dance goes ‘two steps forward, two (or three) steps back.' And as a coach, I have a lot of practice problem-solving and adjusting the lesson on the spot to something easier or entirely different. When it comes to horses, I know how to tackle non-linear progress.

But when my body needs that same understanding? Personal failure. Weakness. Feelings of betrayal, loss of agency, a condemnation of my sense of self worth.

Harsh. But true. And I know you’ve been there too.

I was expecting my body to have consistent access to skills, the same way I'd never expect that from a horse.

And it clicked: I already knew how to work with non-linear progress. I'd been doing it with horses for years. The same patience, adaptation, and 'meet them where they are' approach that made me a good coach is exactly what my body needed from me.

How to Actually Work with Non-Linear Progress

Alright, so how do we operate within this new understanding? What strategies can we use to give ourselves the gift of activity, movement, and chosen pursuits while working with our reality?

There’s more strategies than you think.

How many times have you learned something, a skill, or some kind of knowledge that you knew in one context, only to discover years later that the same skill can be used in a dozen other contexts as well?

Dance lessons when you were younger taught you coordination. Do dance moves apply to your new chosen sport of tennis or horseback riding? No, not usually. But does the coordination you learned help learn this other skill? Yes. Absolutely.

The Puzzle Piece Approach

We’ve all done puzzles. We all understand that you have to look at the details of each puzzle piece–the colour, the direction of the pattern, its shape–to fit it together with another piece and find its place in the puzzle itself.

Progress doesn’t have to look like the full activity. Each piece builds into the larger picture. Each piece has value and connects to other pieces.

When I can't get on my horse to practice the full skill, I can still work on the pieces: hand-eye coordination by throwing and catching a ball, desensitization for the horse by throwing arrows over her back, core strength with resistance band exercises, or bow grip while sitting on a barrel. These are the building blocks that will move the needle toward full skill access when previous skills return.

Step back and start asking questions like:

• What can I choose to work on that will ultimately fit into the puzzle (coordination is always a good one)

• How can I find the right size puzzle piece for the energy levels I feel right now?

• What little thing now will lead to a bigger thing later?

Once you start asking more nuanced questions and breaking things down into smaller puzzle pieces, you can start looking for answers that actually fit your reality instead of fighting against it.

The Flow Chart Approach

Flow charts. I know there are others out there who, when we run across an image of a flow chart, stop to read every single option on that chart. Just for fun, I guess?

Either way, this is also a fantastic way to organize your thoughts around how to progress.

Can I stand today?

Yes → Do I still have enough energy after brushing my horse? Yes → Can I ride safely? ...etc...

No → Is my bow at home? Yes → Can I sit and practice loading the arrow while I watch TV? ...etc...

Every path leads somewhere useful. There is no failure. Each route simply leads to another portion of skill building, big or small.

The “It’s All Coming Together” Montage Approach

The classic, pivotal movie and TV show moments that show the characters doing small things that lead to something bigger. Watch a movie or TV show that has a decent montage in it: Rocky, The A-Team, Batman Begins, Mulan (animation), Dirty Dancing, etc.

Notice how they all show short snippets of different skills being practiced.

Now envision your own montage. Break down your sport or activity into small moments of practice.

What would your montage look like? What small skills will build up into larger ones?

Remember that every scene matters in the montage approach, even the small ones. Your low-energy practice session is just as valuable as your peak performance day. It's all part of the same story.

The Pyramid Approach

This is the classic sports development model. It’s not my personal favourite, but I know some people like the structure and can work well within it, so it’s definitely an option worth sharing. If you’ve been involved in sports, you’ve likely seen this before.

The top point of the pyramid is the whole skill done well, or ‘full integration’ of the skills below it.

The middle of the pyramid is the breakdown of the skill into its component parts. For example, if the top of the pyramid is field archery, the middle part would be: stand correctly; lift and hold bow in correct position; correct draw; smooth release; controlled breathing. Each component of the whole skill.

The bottom level would be the base foundation you need for those component skills. Practicing arm strength and control. Core strength and control. Focus. Coordination of hand and eye. Better development of fast-twitch muscle response. Each foundation element improves the component skills, which in turn improves the final skill.

You can see a breakdown of another example below.

The Detective Approach

This approach is one that can be used alongside any of the other methods or as a standalone strategy. You must piece together what made a ‘good’ practice session and what made a ‘poor’ practice session–what worked and what didn’t. Was it your mindset? Were you distracted? Was it symptoms? What caused those symptoms? Was it stress, weather, sleep, something else?

Write it down like you’re solving the mystery of what happened. Can you identify patterns before your next low-energy session? Can you prevent those circumstances before they strike again?

This one is great if you have done the skill(s) before, like if you’ve decided to try an adapted or lower-energy version of a sport you participated in prior to health challenges.

The Bigger Picture

Adaptation becomes a puzzle to be solved, a flow chart to follow, a montage of training efforts, a pyramid to build, progress where you can see your footsteps behind you and begin to see your path ahead. Pivoting becomes intentional decision-making. Shifts in approach become sustainable instead of pushing and crashing. It’s intelligent and compassionate. It’s being thoughtfully ambitious.

On a good day, sure, go ahead and push yourself. But know that when those low or medium days come along, you’ve built a plan. There are still puzzle pieces to work on to continue toward your goal without the punishing consequences.

The challenges and setbacks don’t keep me from my path – they are part of the path. Setbacks and unpredictable circumstances can sometimes teach you useful frameworks like those above. On the bad days, I’ve felt the frustration, too. I get it. But having a plan to break things down into pieces you can handle most any day really helps reduce the frustration. Not only that, but you can use some mild frustration to motivate you to gain some insight. We are human and we are problem-solving machines full of contradictions. Just don’t focus on the frustration too long, or your problem-solving abilities will slip by unnoticed. Your journey isn't broken or sidelined or ‘not progressing’ – it’s just moving in a non-linear way. A way you can harness if you understand it.

Embracing Your Own Roller Coaster

The nice thing about non-linear progress is that you can start where you’re at. Whether you’re in an active phase, a crash phase, or a ‘want to exercise’ phase: here is exactly where you need to be to begin. This is where you can reframe non-linear progress and learn to harness it.

It’s not that chronic illness is preventing any progress, it simply makes the normal fluctuations in life and in performance more visible. Every single person has moved or is moving through some kind of non-linear progress. Knowing that and learning to work with it gives you some other benefits as well.

Authentic goal-setting: Flares and crashes sometimes point out that you were chasing someone else's definition of success (ouch). There's hustle culture all around us. Once I embraced non-linear progress, my goals stopped being about what I felt pressured to do and started being about what actually mattered to me and what I found fun. Navigating your journey with more awareness can reveal goals that weren't really yours to begin with, and lead to the freedom to pursue things that fit your actual life.

Wisdom about effort vs. force: Learning the difference between productive challenge and destructive pushing. Knowing when to push and when to pivot. For me, there are weeks I see my horse every day, and others where I don't see her for days. There are days I can ride, and others when I definitely can't. Some days I can work on archery for hours. Others I can barely stand up enough to string the bow. Having a framework in place for these ups and down means that you know when pushing yourself is beneficial and when it’s not.

These are daily skills that will help you in many different aspects of life with health challenges. Skills that are often underdeveloped or underutilized. And skills that can get you to where you want to be.

So what about your non-linear journey? Which style of framework are you going to try first? What hidden patterns are emerging for you? What’s one fun thing you could do that would help with the activities you want to try?

Don’t add it to your to-do list, just choose to do a fun little thing that could be part of your montage, or a colourful little puzzle piece. Don’t push: allow your own curiosity and spark of interest to pull you forward. That is the mindset you need to be in to face the challenge of getting active with chronic illness.

Chronic Illness + Exercise Motivation for the Road

Non-linear progress isn’t the ‘second choice’ for progress. It’s what everyone experiences. It’s real progress that you can find creative and adaptable ways of navigating.

Having fun and being creative in the way you approach activities keeps interest and builds internal motivation. Which, I’ve found, helps lower the stress-induced consequences of doing the activity. If I’m having fun, I tend to need less recovery time than if I get frustrated by yet another setback from where I’m ‘supposed’ to be. Understanding it is reclaiming agency with the ‘you’ that you are right now, and feeling good about it. It’s about building creative resilience alongside strength, and wisdom alongside skill.

Once you embrace this mindset, you're ready to start building your own sustainable approach.

I’d love to hear what you might be inspired to do now that you know what non-linear progress is and how you can work with it. Comment below and let me know!

Because real agency is not just hoping your reality will change someday. Agency is embracing the roller coaster and working with what you have right now, instead of against it. It’s messy, it’s real. Unpredictability isn’t something to fix – it’s something you can challenge and work with. You know more than you think.

Ready to find out what else chronic illness has taught you?

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