You would be hard-pressed to think of anything “good” about being in credit card debt. Still, many consumers are and they struggle to dig their way out. Some consumers struggle to even start paying off their credit card debt.

One possible reason people struggle to get started with tackling credit card debt is the psychological aspect of being in debt. It’s stressful. It’s sometimes easier to look at the total you owe and feel like it’s a helpless battle than to make smaller goals and start making real progress on getting credit cards paid off.

Here are a few tips that might help you get past that psychological hurdle and start taking action:

1. Be realistic. If you know that your $10,000 total debt is too much to tackle in a year, break it down into more realistic goals. If you tweaked your budget a bit or cut a few unnecessary expenses, what could you realistically afford to pay off overall this year? Now break down your overall debt into smaller debts — one for each credit card company.

After making all of your minimum payments, would that extra money you made available from budgeting pay off one of those smaller debts in full — say your $500 balance on your ANZ First Visa instead of the $5000 on your Citibank Platinum credit card? If so, that might be the motivation you need to keep going rather than feeling overwhelmed.

2. Make a plan. It’s not enough to say “I want to get out of credit card debt.” You need a plan to make it happen. Previously we covered a variety of different strategies for paying off credit card debt.

Read more about them and decide if any of them sound like a plan that would work for you: lowest balance card first, highest interest credit card first, fixed monthly payments on all cards, and debt consolidation through balance transfers.

3. Negotiate. If your stress is through the roof not because you’re afraid of failing, but because you really can’t scrape together any more money to pay your credit card debt off, try talking to your credit card companies.

Some of your credit card companies might be willing to negotiate with you, giving you more time or reduced minimum payments temporarily, or even cutting fees and interest. Even though talking to your credit card company’s representatives is one of the last things you probably want to do when you’re stressed about debt, it’s often the best thing you can do.

Anyone who got themselves into credit card debt can also get themselves out of it. It takes time, discipline, and sometimes nerves of steel. No one can promise that it won’t be a stressful time, but the one thing that’s for sure is that you’ll feel relieved when it’s all paid off. No matter how small the things you do in the beginning might seem, baby steps are always better than nothing. Don’t make what feels like minimal progress a reason to give up. Instead, give it time.