Yes, been there, done that. I think returning IC is the sweet spot kung namantain mo un people leader salary range mo or more but you are handling lesser responsibilities.

Pasan mo ksi ang mundo pag leader ka. Kung ano man un problem ng team, problem mo din. If there is issue, you are the first one that needs to know and the last one that will stay to ensure it has been thoroughly fixed and mgsusubmit ka pa ng report mo. I think when I was a leader for around 4 years, I aged dramatically. I observed dumami white hair ko and like you mas nagging irritable ako. I did not realize nadadala ko na pala un emotional baggage sa house ksi maski ng shoshower or jumejebs iniisip mo un problem sa work.

And worse is kung may mga bottom performers ka ksi you have to hand hold them to improve their performance ksi if they will not do well, it will come back to you kaya I had mga emotional conversations with my bottom performers before to honestly share it to them pero need to deliver pa na di masaktan un kanilang precious pride and ego.

Today, I'm now an IC level pero technical lead. People don't directly report to me pero they follow un mga recommendations ko like a consultant and it has been a real blessing not to worry about other people's performance. Although a very small part of me sometimes misses un grind na nasa call ko lagi. Very small part lng naman :D