“Misery” however is a more general mood and doesn’t need to be directed at anything. Lots of things can contribute to making you miserable. Kids going through puberty are often miserable, but can rarely explain why; it’s just a general malaise.

A “habit” or habitual behaviour is usually carried out without thinking. Biting one’s nails, lighting a cigarette, doodling, these things are often done whilst thinking about or doing something else. It’s a subconscious act.

A “groove,” if I am to get your link to habitual behaviour, is more likely to be a repetitive occurrence, a set course or action that doesn’t deviate. It could be completely intentional, like a winning streak in Las Vegas or catching lots of fish, one after the other. You are in a groove.

You might say that lots of sorrowful things happening could put you in a miserable groove; time to develop positive habits and cheer up.

(Apologies for English spellings)

Habit and groove also differ by degree & time, habit being more enduring, something I want to keep if it’s good and break if it’s bad. Groove is just something I fell into, and if I like it and what to stay, it will become a real habit.

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[Middle English sorwe, from Old English sorg.]

noun

Mental suffering or pain caused by injury, loss, or despair. See synonyms at regret

A source or cause of sorrow; a misfortune.

Expression of sorrow; grieving.

mis·er·y (mÄ­z’ə-rē)

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[Middle English miserie, from Old French, from Latin miseria, from miser, wretched.]

noun: pl., -ies.

The state of suffering and want as a result of physical circumstances or extreme poverty.

Mental or emotional unhappiness or distress: “Our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances” (Martha Washington)

A cause or source of suffering.

Informal A physical ache or ailment.

hab·it (hăb’Ä­t)

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[Middle English, clothing, from Old French, clothing, behavior, custom, from Latin habitus, from past participle of habēre, to have.]

noun

A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition.

An established disposition of the mind or character.

Customary manner or practice: a person of ascetic habits.

An addiction, especially to a narcotic drug.

Physical constitution.

Characteristic appearance, form, or manner of growth, especially of a plant or crystal.

A distinctive dress or costume, especially of a religious order.

A riding habit.

groove (grūv)

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[Middle English groof, mining shaft, probably from Middle Dutch groeve, ditch.]

noun

A long narrow furrow or channel.

The spiral track cut into a phonograph record for the stylus to follow.

Slang A settled routine: got into the groove of a nine-to-five job.

Slang A situation or an activity that one enjoys or to which one is especially well suited: found his groove playing bass in a trio.

Slang A very pleasurable experience