I work a lot and I love what I do, but after a while I feel off and ask myself why is work so hard?

Good morning and thank you for reaching out!   First off, what you're experiencing is absolutely normal; we are constantly evolving and part of that evolution means that our priorities shift.  We all come to a point in our lives (and most likely more than once!) where we re-evaluate our wants and needs to see if what we're currently doing is working.  Very seldom do you see people stay in one career throughout their lifetime or even let alone stay with the same employer anymore.  I believe a huge part of this is that now it is more acceptable to change paths if it's not working out to follow our passions, which is definitely a cultural shift in perspective. 

Now a question I would like to start with is - in your opinion, if something doesn't feel right, is it okay in your mind to do something about it?  I want you to spend some time thinking through your response.  The reason why I want to start here is that your response will tell you how you feel about making a change and where you need to begin in this process.  From what you wrote, it does sound like you like your profession, but you may be burnt out.  We all deal with varying levels of stress on a daily basis and in turn, the level of stress we each are able to handle will vary too. 

While external stressors are something we can't control, what we can control is what we do about them.  Self-care is a buzz word and deservedly so.  If we aren't able to take care of ourselves - not only physically, but emotionally, mentally, spiritually, etc. - then how can we show up for others?  And in your case, being the best chef you know how to be.  Do you currently have any outlets?  I know you said you have made a lot of sacrifices and are introverted.  Do you have any built-in alone time?  I would explore what that does or could look like for you.  You also mentioned wanting to enjoy life now too...when you close your eyes, what do you envision that to look like?  Just like how I'm sure you have to have a vision of a dish before preparing it so you know what you're working towards, envisioning doing things that you enjoy will also give you an idea of what you're working towards as well.  

As part of this you could also explore your boundaries and what you are willing or not willing to compromise on anymore.  Trying to find some sort of work/life balance could really help with the feelings that you are experiencing right now, especially in hearing how you do love what you do.  The tricky part to this would then be how to communicate your new boundaries to your employer or to your customers (not sure in what capacity you are a chef).  Because once you are able to a) pinpoint what your boundaries are and b) articulate them, you have something tangible that you can follow.  And yes, while balance isn't always going to be 50/50, it won't be 80/90 one way and 20/10 the other.  

I know I just gave you a lot of information to digest as this is a broad overview of how you could potentially approach your concern.  The biggest takeaway I would like you to have from this response is that just because something was working for you in the past, doesn't mean that it has to be working well now and that it is okay to listen to ourselves.  I would recommend working with a therapist so you can continue to unpack everything and learn how to figure out what your current work/life balance can look like where you continue to do what you love as well as feel like you are able to enjoy all of life, and not just the life in the kitchen.