ESA & Permitted work - very confused

Hi. I am so confused right now.

I currently receive ESA (Support Group) with the enhanced disability premium (£460 in total a month after deductions), housing benefit covering my rent (roughly £400pcm) and council tax relief. I have not claimed PiP.

I need advice with moving forward and have struggled to find this online. What information I have gleaned is generally out of date.

I am considering going back to work but this triggers a great deal of anxiety after so many jobs have gone 'wrong' when my mental health has faltered.

I was initially looking at undertaking some voluntary work but have been advised this would trigger an immediate reassessment from the DWP - I am unsure if this is correct.

I am also unclear on how paid 'permitted work' applies. Surely the DWP view will be if I'm well enough to do a few hours I'm well enough to work full stop? I'm terrified of Jobseekers Allowance and it's associated stresses. I'm miles from a Job Centre and afraid of the associated harassment and sanctions.

In a perfect world I would retrain but it does not seem that I could return to full time education while on ESA unless receiving PiP, and again I assume that being 'well' enough to return to education I would no longer qualify for ESA suport group.

I'm trying to understand how realistic undertaking 'permitted work' would be without ending up in an even more difficult position. I would be unable to survive without my current income and will be vulnerable returning to work as my ability to cope with this stress is untested.

If I was to obtain, for example, a minimum wage job working eight to sixteen hours a week would I end up 'worse off' and unable to 'go back' if I prove unable to manage it? It appears to me that there is no real benefit to voluntary work over paid work, especially with the £131 allowance which would allow me to consider running a vehicle again (I'm somewhat isolated without).

I just can't get my head round this.