In happiness research, joy isn’t measured as a single emotion or a big milestone. It’s the sum of many small points of joy: waking up rested, feeling connected in a conversation, actually tasting a meal. That’s a hopeful idea, because it makes happiness achievable. It’s also where therapy for HFD often begins.

Many people with HFD don’t realize they’re experiencing anhedonia, because their lives are too full to notice. Many also find it hard to name emotions at all (a trait called alexithymia), so the answer to „How are you?“ is always „Fine.“ Early therapy work is often about building trust and slowly learning to notice what’s really there. From there, therapy can become a kind of archaeology: when did you last feel joy? Where were you, and who were you with? The answers often show what was lost along the way, and what can be reclaimed.

A central part of this work is learning to be present again, with Mindfulness. Dr. Joseph uses short grounding exercises, about five minutes to start. Holding a cup of tea, for example, you name five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. For those few minutes, the next meeting and last night’s argument fade into the background. With practice, the same attention can be brought to a meal, a walk, or time with a pet or a loved one. These are small pleasures that were there all along but got lost in the rush.

Dr. Joseph also describes five practices, her „5 V’s,“ that support both recovery and prevention:

Validation means acknowledging what you feel without judgment: „My joy really is low,“ rather than „At least I have a roof over my head.“ It can also mean recognizing that something painful happened and may have shaped you. Gratitude has its place too, but later, as a way to sustain healing, not as a replacement for acknowledging pain.

Venting means expressing what you feel, whether through talking, journaling, prayer, or crying. It matters because it’s hard to access joy while overwhelmed. The key is to vent the right way: choose one or two trusted people where care flows both ways, know whether you want a solution or simply to be heard, and avoid venting to people who depend on you, such as your children or employees.

Values means reconnecting with what gives your life meaning. Many high achievers spend years chasing things with price tags and lose sight of what’s priceless. For Dr. Joseph herself, it turned out to be helping people in her community.

Vitals means caring for your body and brain: nutrition (the field of nutritional psychiatry highlights foods like leafy greens, blueberries, and foods rich in omega 3 like flax seeds or algae), enough movement, and protecting your brain from technology with real boundaries around screens.

Vision means intentionally planning joy into your future, so you have something to genuinely look forward to.