By 'moving with purpose,' I mean planning each move. As you get up from sitting, sit forward, stop, then stand up. It is moving in multiple directions at once that cause me to struggle. Plus, moving with purpose reduces the chance of hitting your head into something.

We usually move around reactively rather than purposely. Thinking before we move can make a big difference.

Does your new pillow elevate your head ? I find that elevating my head is not good. Supporting my head from tilting to the side or forward allows my neck to heal and become stable. Too much effort at range of motion is counter, at least in my situation. The same holds true for the "twist the head and pop the neck" chiro treatments. Gentle treatments a often better.

PT's tend to want to measure improvements by pushing for improvements in range of motion. For me, that was a good way to undo improvements.