I do exactly what you have said when it all gets too much.. but I find that if I am doing as you described then I am in a depressive state and know that I have to pull myself out of it.

How I do that..?? I actually have not set path. Usually I try to got for a walk or I take the car to be washed... anything that enables me to firstly get out of bed and the house.

Reading switches my mind to another place where I only momentarily think about what is going on..

There is some good posts on here about CBT... have a read of those perhaps.