Celebrating small milestones is important in life with PH

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) has changed what I consider an accomplishment — and maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.

Living with PH has taught me that progress does not have to be dramatic to be worth celebrating. Walking a little farther, recovering a little faster, adjusting to a medication, or completing an activity that used to leave me exhausted may not look like major accomplishments to anyone else, but for those of us with PH, they can be important signs that we’re still moving forward.

PH can make us very aware of what our bodies cannot do. Symptoms, limitations, medications, appointments, testing, and constant reminders show that life doesn’t always go as we planned. If I measure myself only against what I could once do — or what I wish I could do — I can miss evidence that I’m still making progress.

I tell myself to celebrate the small things, but I don’t remind myself to do it nearly enough.

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Recognizing the small victories

It’s easy to set our sights on the big goals. We want the medication to work. We want better test results. We want to breathe easier, walk farther, exercise longer, need less help, or return to something PH has made difficult. We may have an idea of what “better” should look like.

When that is the only thing I’m watching for, progress can feel painfully slow.

Exercise is a good example. If my goal is to walk a certain distance, I could focus entirely on whether I’ve reached that number. But many smaller signs of progress can show up along the way. Maybe I walked for one more minute than I could before. Maybe the same activity felt slightly easier.

Medication can be similar. Starting or changing a PH treatment doesn’t always mean that everything suddenly feels better. Sometimes progress means simply getting through the adjustment period. It could mean learning to manage side effects or realizing months later that I can do something that would have been too difficult before.

Progress with PH isn’t always obvious, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth celebrating. Maybe today’s walk was a little easier than last month’s. Maybe we completed pulmonary rehabilitation or learned to pace ourselves instead of pushing until we were completely depleted. That would be a victory!

Stability can be an accomplishment, too. When so much of PH care is focused on keeping the disease from progressing and helping us function as well as possible, maintaining our current health status may be worth recognizing instead of dismissing.

Even if the celebration involves just me and a tiny cake, it makes me happy. It gives me permission to be grateful for my body, which I often despise. It also seems to calm my anxiety, helping me not to feel like I’m falling behind on accomplishments. Maybe I just love sweets and really enjoy making cakes. Whatever the reason, it makes me feel better.

Learning to notice the stars

Columnist Jolie Lizana’s tiny cake is plated in front of her painting. (Courtesy of Jolie Lizana)

Setting smaller milestones within our big goals would give us something tangible to recognize. Instead of saying, “I want to be able to exercise more,” maybe the goal becomes another minute, or a few more steps. Progress isn’t always a straight line, either. Living with PH involves good days and bad ones. Doing less today than I did yesterday doesn’t erase everything I’ve accomplished. A difficult week doesn’t send me back to the beginning.

I have to remind myself that the size of an accomplishment doesn’t determine its value, and that big improvements often consist of many smaller ones that happen gradually. There is a quote on my refrigerator that I read every day: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

I love that mindset. I believe in setting big goals and reaching for more. But living with PH has also taught me that constantly staring at the moon can make me miss the stars along the way.

I’m still going to shoot for the moon. That part of me probably isn’t changing. But I’m trying to become better at noticing the stars. This is a friendly reminder for you to do the same.

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Note: Pulmonary Hypertension News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Pulmonary Hypertension News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to pulmonary hypertension.