Not that long ago, I found myself in a similar situation as you are. Though I was running my consulting company - I hit the bottom and needed to change, change I did.
Few things I do differently now and has helped me a lot:
1. I focussed on side projects as a way to blow-off steam - this helped me a lot. (Looks like you are already doing it)
2. Spice up your work environment - good audiobooks always help me stay sane on those long coding days. I usually choose some good light-hearted reading rather than the intense novels.
3. I allocated days to work on my side projects during the work-week. ThIs meant I had to get creative around how I schedule my work-work. Eg: Sometimes I had to work long hours (10+) to finish up with my work schedule.
4. Switch off day - usually on Sunday I tend not to do anything work related.
Few things I do differently now and has helped me a lot: 1. I focussed on side projects as a way to blow-off steam - this helped me a lot. (Looks like you are already doing it) 2. Spice up your work environment - good audiobooks always help me stay sane on those long coding days. I usually choose some good light-hearted reading rather than the intense novels. 3. I allocated days to work on my side projects during the work-week. ThIs meant I had to get creative around how I schedule my work-work. Eg: Sometimes I had to work long hours (10+) to finish up with my work schedule. 4. Switch off day - usually on Sunday I tend not to do anything work related.