I haven't been in your exact situation, but the not feeling up to parity about my work and demotivated to improve that is definitely familiar. For me it came fr

I haven't been in your exact situation, but the not feeling up to parity about my work and demotivated to improve that is definitely familiar. For me it came from a toxic work environment. I managed to take time off and after a few months recovery found myself working on personal projects, just following that which I found interesting. This is critical, and has become an essential part of my working process. I have repeated this cycle over the years, and it helps immensely. Our industry moves quickly. Or, at least, I prefer working in the parts that do. Following one's interests makes keeping up fun. I'm also extremely careful about the paid gigs that I take on. A toxic environment can crush the soul, and I do not take gigs that have red flags. A culture of empathy, no-blame, generosity and respect is a bare minimum. As for less salary... ironically, stress does not correlate to salary, in my experience. In fact, I suspect there is a negative correlation: not only does a lower-paid job have inherent stress, but you also have to deal with the stress of low pay. One answer might be dropping down to part time - which would be less salary overall, but not a demotion, so to speak.