What made work exhausting was often the conditions, not the craft. Teaching, building or cooking may still be satisfying once the deadlines, the volume and the obligation to be excellent on demand have been removed. Many people give up the thing along with the job, and miss it later without recognising what they miss.

If you have stepped away from paid work, try the old skill at a scale nobody is measuring. One lesson, one small repair, one afternoon of it. Keep the right to stop halfway, and see whether the pleasure returns once the pressure is not attached.