In between feeling everything and nothing at all, too much and the numbness, joy felt distant and I moved through days on autopilot. Sometimes it was burnout, sometimes emotional heaviness, sometimes simply surviving for too long. What helped wasn’t forcing joy, but allowing small moments of play, curiosity, and creativity to gently reawaken me. Creative outlets brought life back into places inside me that had gone quiet. I learned to schedule joy, practice that muscle like any other and give myself permission to feel the joy. You don’t need to feel joyful to begin. Here, we start small. Creating space for sparks, noticing what feels even a little bit alive, and letting joy return in a way that feels safe, doable, and true to you.