Dear Ponderings,
Don't be discouraged. You may feel you're not making progress at the time, but sooner or later, you'll look back and realize you have. It's not recognizable at the time.
It seems to me that likening progress to a straight line journey, as in steps forward and back, is not a good comparison. We progress in many aspects at one time, so we're all over the map in that respect. Slowly, they come together.
In other words, I'm sure you're doing fine.
Love,
Roxy