Let yourself go

For the last few weeks, I let myself go.  Some tough personal stuff happened.  And I got lax in some of the habits that usually keep me happy and optimistic.

I wasn't meditating every day.  I wasn't as careful about nutrition.  I almost never exercised.  I wasn't writing every day.  I wasn't listing all the things I am grateful for.

This isn't unusual.  A lot of people let themselves go when times get rough.  Things are better now and I'm getting back to my good habits.  But I'm wondering why it's so tempting to let yourself go in hard times.  

Maybe I stopped listing what I have to be grateful for, stopped meditating, and stopped seeking pleasure because I didn't WANT to cheer up.  Not yet.  Part of me may have sensed that if I worked on happiness, I'd fail to face my pain.  Maybe sometimes it's healthy to stop being healthy.  For a while.

I'm not really sure.  Would it have been better to keep meditating, writing, exercising, and counting my blessings?  Would this have made the last few weeks a little less bleak?   Or would these "happy habits" have distanced me from pain that I needed to address?