Job interviews are pretty stressful - even more so if you haven't done them for a long time. I think the key is you went in knowing you didn't HAVE to get it which makes the whole thing more manageable. I'd be happy if I never have to do another interview (but I probably will!).
Here's to the elusive financial independence/security when we can!
I do think that knowing that it is not a necessity now helps me to control my nerves and stress levels better. Nevertheless, I want that financial security/safety for various reasons. For this job 3 candidates were selected for interviews so I had a 33% chance, unfortunately, yesterday they informed me that they would move forward with one of the other candidates.
That means that I can continue searching again and hope that I find an opportunity just like what this job would have been.