I’ve written several times in the past about progress through baby steps. And while making fast progress often requires big effort in the short term, long-term progress can easily be made incrementally.

The same can be said when coming out of a slump.

Say you’ve been sick, maybe had an injury, or just let your habits slip a little too long. Whatever the reason, it happens to everyone. But you can always get back to it.

The trick is to take it slow those first few days.

Even if you feel the energy to go right back into your old ways, your body — and mind — need time to adjust.

If you were used to lifting a certain weight, start with less. If you used to run a specific distance, take a shorter route. If you regularly wrote 1000 words a day, start with a paragraph.

This isn’t suggesting that you aren’t able to. Unless you’ve been out of practice for several weeks or more, you’re likely more than capable of continuing where you left off.

But that’s not the point.

The point is to get back into the habit.

While pulling yourself out of a slump the last thing you want is to have an injury or make some mistake that leads to harsh self-criticism. On those first few days, you just want to restart the actions and get yourself back into the groove.

If you’re trying to get yourself back on track after any kind of setback, ease into it — especially with long-term goals.