Sometimes you need a moment where, once it's done, you felt like you tore the head off of a cow.
Usually it's something that had been a constant drag for years and you finally dealt with it. It's a mistake to handle things that way, though sometimes you don't have much of a choice.
Alternatives can be hobbies. But your regular everyday hobby won't work. It's a normal thing for you. An example is my bar... depression built it, but doing so helped me feel better and clear my mind. Carpentry is far from a regular hobby for me... so you need to grab an irregular hobby.