I recently saw a small sign of movement on my case and now I’m afraid to get my hopes up because I’ve been disappointed before, so I’m wondering if this cautious optimism is something others experience and how you manage expectations.

Yes, that cautious optimism is very common, especially after you’ve already been disappointed once or twice. A lot of people see a small update and feel hopeful, then immediately try to protect themselves from getting let down again. What usually helps is treating that movement as a neutral sign that the case is alive, without attaching expectations to how fast the next step should happen. Most people learn to celebrate small progress quietly while reminding themselves that USCIS moves in uneven bursts, so one update doesn’t guarantee immediate momentum but it also isn’t false hope.