Social media is really good at making us feel like we’re behind our pole peers. The endless cycle of saving cool tricks on Instagram, trying them, and not getting them can eventually make you fall out of love with the whole idea of pole. Coming back from an extended break complicates matters even more, because all of a sudden you find yourself starting from what feels like square one. You’re not able to bust out your favorite tricks as easily as you once did (and that’s if you can even do them at all anymore).

It sounds cliché, but slowing things all the way down is the thing that helped me most in this latest return-to-pole journey of mine. Taking my time helped with:

building my repertoire of “go-to” moves.
understanding my body far better than first time around.
gaining more confidence to try (and try again…and again).

I love IG and TikTok, but sometimes there’s an intense pressure to push and progress before you’re physically and mentally ready for the next step. We might perform one trick a few times on each side and never return to it again because we’ve been conditioned to crave the next thing before we can fully appreciate what we just accomplished through our hard work and consistency. It’s something I’ve definitely noticed in my own comeback, and, transparently, the expectations I placed on myself to perform at the same level I was 3 years ago before health and life did a number on me are completely unfair.

There was a time when I was a power poler who only did aerial and inverted tricks, but I had none of the confidence I do now. My first pole performance in front of hundreds of people contained zero inverts and was nothing like what I daydreamed about before talking myself down and saying I wasn’t ready to be on anybody’s stage. Now I’m so confident in my ability to perform whether there’s a pole or not, and it’s still wild to me. Today, I consider myself to be back at the beginner stage of all things aerial pole. I don’t want to rush out of being a beginner to chase the old me. I’ll never be that version of myself again, and I’m ok with that. She got me here and still motivates me to grow towards whatever the next thing might be

This time around, I’m taking time to appreciate the upgraded me as she emerges. I actually recognize my small wins this time around, and that’s huge for me! Whatever your story is with pole, it’s important to remember that you’ve reached a new starting point. Your comeback is exactly what you make of it, so make it a point to celebrate where you are now in preparation for where you’re heading next.

Return of the Clack: Celebrate the Beginnings of Your (New) Pole Journey