My Dad is 91. Someday soon I am going to wish he was around to pester me with projects.
And if I get too mellow, I start to ripen, and eventually I rot. Then I am just rotten. I worked seven days a week for maybe 20 years, and I understand the frustration of Not Being Able To Pace MY SELF. Nobody did it to me, it was all me.
I started to do it all over again last year, working 4 months straight, Getting Lyme disease, throwing my back out, doing a kamikaze bathroom remodel for my parents, and then putting all new sills on my 180 YO farmhouse, so I could have the whole thing insulated properly, all while working full time.
This year was shaping up to be the same, so I decided to take a few Sundays off, rebuild a convertible, and just have fun with things. Now I am rebuilding the porch I ripped off my house last year to get at the sills. For FUN. Which means I am not putting myself in a pressure cooker, not working until I pop OR drop, and just being a little casual about the whole experience. I have seen some good movies and read some good books. I have taken my wife out for drives in the ''new'' convertible.
Balance is the hard part for me, but if you think taking a break will do you some good, I HIGHLY recommend that you do so, and see how it feels. Nobody should feel trapped by life. I find that I am actually happier when I do stuff, as long as I remember to edit out the suffering. Have some fun.