I started to realize that I was neglecting my actual job. Not only that, but my family as well.

That’s the biggest problem in this. Balancing your work and your family and your friends with your other interests and passions is hard! Definitely moreso than the fact that your first book wasn’t as good as you’d hoped, the fact that you’re neglecting other parts of your life is worrisome.

I started reading the initial chapters again, and I realized the quality was not up to the standards I was aiming for.

You’ll get better but only if you keep it up. Lots of phenomenal artists have had kind of bland and sucky early works. Terry Pratchett is a phenomenal writer and certainly one of the best of his era but The Color of Magic is not good. Maybe it would be helpful for you to read some of the better and best-known works of some author you like and then read their earliest published thing? A lot of people may not have published until they got pretty good but others got their work out there sooner, which has its own advantages and may help you see how they’ve grown.

I spiraled down into a turmoil of anxiety and disappointment with myself. I could barely sleep at night.

Luckily, I decided to quit, and ever since, I have never written again. The very thought of writing makes me feel sick, so I think I'll need a little more time before I return to my beloved hobby. When I do, I'll never share again until I think I'm ready.

Not to over analyze Internet strangers, but if setbacks of this degree regularly lead to such disproportionate responses on your part, you might have someone make sure none of that is clinical.

You had the guts to do what a lot of people can’t do – release your writing out there! That’s a big step that you’ve already taken! And the fact that people were commenting on every chapter means that they liked it and see its potential.

I think if you balance your time better and put less pressure on yourself, you could go far.