Agreed. However, there's a third possible state between "working but in a rut" and "at a social gathering he doesn't want to be at" which I call "everything els

Agreed. However, there's a third possible state between "working but in a rut" and "at a social gathering he doesn't want to be at" which I call "everything else". I didn't say that he should have gone back to work, just that he shouldn't go to social events he's not feeling like attending. I suggested that a long walk would do wonders for unblocking his problem.