I remember there used to be a book called Feel the fear and do it anyway; it would be great if there were one called Feel like crap and do it anyway. Distraction is good in the short term but in the long term the feelings (or rather the thoughts about the feelings) will come back to haunt us unless we can accept that they are there and plough through regardless. I was walking past a gym the other week and they had a sign up, one of those motivational posters that normally drive me bonkers, but it said something like 'I never regret going to the gym, but I always regret it when I dont go'. And it made me think about the times I've got caught up in my depression feelings and not done those other things I could have been doing, compared to the times that I've pushed myself to do those things in spite of it all. There's some truth in that stupid poster I think.
Also one more thought: you say you have so much you SHOULD be doing. But what do you WANT to be doing? There's a big difference between those two. Should is often about other people. Want is often about what's best for you.
