Lexie,
It sounds like you're saying "Fake it till you make it." I can get behind that.
I also like the idea of doing "the next right thing" that helps me sometimes get out of a slump. I learned that technique here at SR.
There is an important self-care correlation that I need to remind myself when it comes to my daughter: When she was around 14 she saw a counselor about anxiety. The counselor asked to talk to me. I assumed she was going to fill me in on how my daughter was upset about the war, and her father being deployed yada yada yada... Turns out my daughter was actually freaking out because she was worried about me! Ha! And I thought I was holding it together so well!