If I understand correctly......You are speaking of prioritizing.

IF so, then I am able to do that at times.

I see depression as having a standard....once I am below my own standard, nothing else in my life matters. It requires outside intervention to be bought back up again.

If my depression is above my standard....then at that point it has it's ups and downs. And when it gets like that I have the ability to prioritize and I do so.....
For example if one of my kids were to go to the hospital, my depression would go on the back burner--it would move down as far as importance goes.

Which makes one think that you should be able to "be happy" by keeping busy. But it doesn't work that way because emotions are not involved in keeping busy.

Make any sense?....I tend to not communicate well...