TD, what a good, insightful question! Yes, I think I do this too. (Right now for instance.) I'm not sure I have any good answers about what causes it. I tend to tell myself it's pure laziness, it's easier to stay in the current situation than work on changing it. I would never suggest that that's true for anybody else, though.

Being unhappy drains you of energy, wouldn't you agree? So the thought of starting anything new can seem impossibly exhausting. (And being drained of energy also contributes to feelings of unhappiness - it's a bit of a vicious circle.)

As for when other people tell us what to do to feel better... this is not something I have to deal with too much since I try not to let other people know what I'm feeling, but I have a problem in general with people telling me what I ought to be doing; I get really defensive and annoyed. I can certainly see why you'd get angry with people trying to tell you what you should do to feel better.