Setting a small, achievable daily goal can builds a sense of mastery and accomplishment, said Samantha Snead, LPC, clinical director of Leesburg Treatment Services in Richmond, VA. "At times we tend to set major goals for ourselves that are difficult to accomplish in one sitting," she explained. When you can't complete that goal, you get discouraged and hopeless, which hurts your mental health and sense of self-worth. Your daily goal can be truly small: making your bed, reading a chapter in your book, or reciting a positive affirmation. "The feeling that you completed something, no matter how big or small, encourages your brain and body to keep going," Snead said. "Even if at the end of the day you were only able to get that one task done, you still accomplished a goal you wanted to do and that feels pretty good."