"No offense, but if this is your darkest hour, you need to be living a much wider spectrum of human experience!"
I'd say that about someone who would make a comment like this. Things that are unbelievably difficult for one person can be easy for the next, and vice versa.
That's a cheap shot although you made me laugh. But let's for a moment assume that one person's walk in the woods can be another person's nightmare. (Especially if they're really dark, creepy woods - but I digress).
Job hunting is stressful even at the best of times. And this is certainly not the best of times. On top of that, you are considering a possibly necessary major shift in direction in your career and lifestyle so that adds to the stress of this. The process of searching for a job has a bearing on so many aspects of who we are that some people can be so paralyzed by the thought of it that they will stay in the same job for years to avoid searching for a new job (points finger at self). I sympathize with your situation. Getting support from those close to you as well as trying to participate in enjoyable activities that help you to maintain your sanity are likely to help you get through this without feeling too overwhelmed. Whatever direction you choose, when you emerge at the other end of the tunnel you are likely to wonder what you were so worried about. Best of luck.
It didn't come across to me as a cheap shot - I think it's literally true. Stuff that would have been extremely discouraging to me 5-10 years ago simply bounces right off me now. Based on this, I know that stuff I worry about right now isn't going to seem like a big deal as I get older. The best technique I know for making this process work is to continually do new things and challenge myself. Some of it may be painful at the time, but once you've come through it, you'll be surprised at the confidence you gain.
The only thing I know of that works against this process is sliding back into the "safe" realm in order to avoid having to deal with the problem at hand. This becomes a repeating pattern and you end up being much less capable of achieving challenging things.
It sounds to me like the problem is less one of motivation and more of vision. What is it exactly that you want to do? If you need to answer that question, I recommend changing contexts dramatically. Go travel for awhile, try moving to a new town, etc. Once you know what you want, little things like money and wondering how you're going to survive matter surprisingly less than you think they would.