Setting goals is like giving yourself a map when you’re feeling lost. Life can feel overwhelming, purposeless, and like you’re just floating through your days when you’re suffering from depression.
But here’s the thing: setting goals can be a powerful tool to break that cycle. It’s not some magical, instant fix, but it can be a game-changer for your mental health since it gives you a purpose once more.
Let’s dig into how it all works:
- Gives you a sense of purpose
It’s common to feel like nothing matters when you’re depressed. You wake up and go through the motions while nothing feels particularly meaningful.
Setting a goal, whether it’s a small or significant one, can inject a sense of purpose into your life. It’s like lighting a tiny spark. Having something to aim for gives you a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
- Breaks the overwhelm into manageable steps
Everything feels too big and overwhelming when you’re deep in the grasp of depression. Even something basic like showering or answering an email can feel monumental.
Setting goals helps you break down that overbearingness into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Let’s just say your goal is to “get healthier.” That’s too vague of a target and quite intimidating, right? But if you break it down into tiny steps, like “drink one extra glass of water today” or “take a five-minute walk,” it suddenly feels doable.
These small wins can start to build momentum, so don’t dismiss them as being insignificant either.
- Releases feel-good chemicals
Completing intentions triggers your brain’s reward system.
When you accomplish something, your brain releases dopamine, which is a “feel-good” neurotransmitter. It’s like giving yourself a little pat on the back.
Our brain’s reward system is regularly out of whack when we’re dealing with depression, which means that even tiny bursts of dopamine can make a difference.
- Restores a sense of control
Depression can leave you feeling like you have zero control over your life. Everything just happens to you, and you’re powerless to change it.
But when you set a goal, even if it’s something small like “read one page of a book,” you’re taking back some control. You’re telling yourself, “I can still choose to do something.”
This sense of agency is super important for mental health because it reminds you that while you can’t control everything, you do have some say in your own life.
One of the cruel tricks of depression is that it steals your motivation to do anything, which can lead to a vicious cycle of inactivity and feeling worse. If we think about it, it’s almost the perfect disease to incapacitate someone.
But aiming at something can serve as a little anchor throughout your day, giving you something to focus on. For example, setting a goal to do one tiny task in the morning, like making your bed or watering a plant, can start your day off on a positive note. It’s like you’re telling your brain, “We’re getting started with something productive today.”
- Boosts self-esteem and confidence
It’s easy to beat yourself up and feel like you can’t do anything right when suffering from a psychological issue. However, setting achievable objectives can slowly start to change that narrative.
The more goals you accomplish, the more you prove to yourself that you are capable. Even if it’s a simple daily task, like “cooking one meal at home this week” or “texting a friend,” each win builds up your self-confidence. You’re essentially building a case against that inner critic that says you’re not good enough.
- Encourages you to focus on the future
Depression tends to trap people in the past or keep them stuck in the present moment, especially if it’s a painful one.
You’re training your mind to look forward by setting aims. It could be as simple as planning to watch a new movie on Friday or signing up for a class next month.
These small, future-oriented goals give you something to anticipate, which can be incredibly helpful in shifting your mindset from “What’s the point?” to “Okay, let’s see what happens.”
- Helps you discover what you enjoy
It’s easy to forget what you like doing or even lose interest in everything you used to enjoy when you’re not in a good mental state. But setting targets can be a way to gently rediscover those things.
For instance, setting a goal like “try a new hobby” or “spend 10 minutes doodling” might spark something in you. Even if it doesn’t immediately bring joy, it can help to reconnect with the activities that used to please you.
- Creates a growth mindset
It encourages you to adopt a growth mindset, which is the belief that your abilities and situation can improve with effort.
Depression often feeds on feelings of hopelessness and convinces you that things will always stay the same. But when you set objectives, especially ones that challenge you just a little, you reinforce the idea that change is possible.
Even if you don’t achieve the goal perfectly, the effort itself can help shift your mindset from “I’m stuck” to “I’m trying, and I can improve.”
- Creates positive distractions
Psychological difficulties can sometimes lead to rumination and endlessly replaying negative thoughts or experiences in your mind.
Setting goals, learning something new, or engaging with others can all act as a healthy distraction. It forces your mind to concentrate on something concrete and interrupts that cycle of negative thinking.
Even a simple aim like learning to cook a new dish or trying a DIY project can pull you out of your head for a while.
People with depression are often their own harshest critics.
Setting realistic, compassionate intentions helps you practice being kinder to yourself. For instance, a goal like “write down one positive thing about myself today” can help you shift from self-criticism to self-compassion.
This kind of plan encourages you to reframe your internal dialogue and can be a crucial step toward healing.
Mental issues can strip away your sense of who you are and leave you feeling like an empty shell.
Setting objectives that align with your values and interests may help you reconnect with your identity. For example, if you used to enjoy art, setting a goal to sketch once a week can help you reclaim that part of yourself.
It reminds you of what defines you, and that can be incredibly empowering during tough times.
Aiming at something doesn’t have to be a solo journey. Creating goals that involve other people, like joining a club or attending a class, can help you combat the isolation that often accompanies depression.
Social connection is a powerful antidote to depression, and having a goal to meet someone new or reunite with old friends can help you take the first step toward building a support system.
- Cultivates mindfulness and presence
For instance, planning to practice mindfulness for five minutes a day or engage in a grounding exercise can anchor you in the present moment.
That’s incredibly useful since depression often involves dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, so having a goal that requires you to focus on the here and now can be surprisingly therapeutic.
- Gives a sense of progress over time
Depression can make it feel like you’re stuck in one place, unable to move forward.
However, tracking your objectives over weeks or months allows you to see the progress you’ve made.
Keeping a journal of your goals and accomplishments can serve as a visual reminder that you are moving forward, even on the days when it doesn’t feel like it. Over time, these small steps add up and will create a more hopeful outlook.
- Encourages self-reflection
Before setting your sights on something, you’re forced to think about what you want, why you want it, and what’s truly important to you.
This process of self-reflection can be valuable when you’re feeling lost. It allows you to acknowledge your desires, interests, and values, which can provide clarity about what’s meaningful to you. This sense of inner alignment can be a source of strength and stability when you’re struggling.
- Builds emotional resilience
Setting and working toward goals can make you develop resilience, which is the ability to bounce back from setbacks.
Psychological problems often amplify feelings of defeat when things don’t go perfectly. But setting manageable goals helps you practice getting back up after disappointments. This builds your emotional muscle over time by teaching you that failure isn’t final.
Some objectives like, “take a short walk three times a week” or “try a 10-minute yoga session” might naturally involve movement.
Physical activity releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. Plus, being active can also improve sleep and overall well-being, all things that tend to suffer during a depressive episode.
- Facilitates a sense of adventure and curiosity
Depression often makes the world feel dull and gray. Nevertheless, setting goals to explore new things can help bring a sense of adventure back into your life.
It could be as simple as trying a new dish, reading a genre you’ve never explored, or visiting a nearby park. These mini adventures can rekindle a sense of curiosity by reminding you that life still has surprises left to offer.
How to set goals when you’re feeling low
Here are some tips if you’re struggling to set goals:
- Start small: Don’t set yourself up for failure by aiming too high.
Your goal can be as simple as “get out of bed and stretch” or “write one sentence in a journal.” Even small objectives will soon start to compound and snowball. Not to mention that you can always aim larger if you’re doing well. - Be kind to yourself: Depression can make even small things feel exhausting.
Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t reach a goal. It’s okay to take breaks and to fail. We’re only human, after all. - Focus on the process, not just the result: Instead of saying, “I want to lose weight,” focus on a process goal like “I’ll go for a short walk three times this week.”
The process is most important, and it’s been shown that most pleasure is related to progress rather than the outcome. - Write them down: There’s something powerful about writing down your goals.
It makes them more concrete and real while giving you a way to measure progress and to hold yourself accountable. - Celebrate the wins: Did you accomplish your goal for the day? That’s awesome. Celebrate it, you earned it. Treat yourself to a nice bath, watch a funny video, or reward yourself by telling yourself, “Good job.”
Final note
The journey out of depression is not easy, and setting goals is just one piece of the puzzle.
It won’t fix everything overnight, but it can help you build a ladder to climb out, one small step at a time. Even if it’s just setting a goal to brush your teeth today, that’s still progress. And improvement is always worth celebrating.
I found that I need an objective in life, or my mind starts to wander, while my mood worsens. Having too much time to think is very dangerous when depressed, since that’s when negative thoughts and ruminations typically start to happen.
