All I can say is leave IT if all your choices are freelancing and starting your own IT business. It’s the same total magnitude of stress spread into new areas: marketing, sales, contracts, etc. Keeping a sales pipeline going is a never ending nightmare requiring truly mind-numbing SEO and groveling to the cheapest people who expect 24/7 full stack support.
IT contracting is a race to the bottom for all but the most naturally suited and heavily networked individuals.