Let’s Bring the Joy Back Into Your Healing Journey
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I want to shine a light on something that often gets overlooked in both the medical world and the mental health space:
Something called joy deficiency.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve been through it. Maybe you’re living with Crohn’s, like I am. Maybe you’ve faced breast cancer, diabetes, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia… or you’re just exhausted from carrying so much pain — physical, emotional, spiritual.
I SEE YOU.
I AM YOU.
And I want to remind you:
Healing isn’t just about managing symptoms. It’s also about reclaiming your light.
When we’re navigating chronic illness, we’re often surrounded by language about what’s wrong — what’s flaring, what’s out of balance, what’s inflamed, what’s next to monitor.
But rarely do people ask:
What’s lighting you up?
When’s the last time you felt a moment of real joy?
Do you feel safe, seen, loved… by yourself?
I’ve learned — through pain, trial, and deep inner listening — that joy isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.
Scientific research from institutions like Stanford and the NIH shows that positive emotions such as joy and hope activate the parasympathetic nervous system — the “rest and digest” response — which helps lower cortisol, reduce inflammation, and promote healing on a cellular level.
Even small moments of joy can strengthen your immune system, improve emotional resilience, and literally rewire your brain toward greater well-being.
JOY DOESN’T JUST MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD — IT BIOLOGICALLY SUPPORTS YOUR BODY IN GETTING WELL.
It regulates the nervous system. It activates hope. It brings us back into relationship with our bodies instead of fighting against them.
What used to feel like a battle became more of a partnership once I started focusing on joy as a daily necessity. I stopped seeing my illness as something to constantly combat, and instead began relating to it as a messenger — something to understand, befriend, and move through with compassion. That shift in mindset changed everything.
I started practicing what I now call the micro-JOYS® method — small, sacred, sometimes silly touches of joy that reminded me I was alive. Sunshine on my face. A song that made me dance. A compliment from a stranger. A moment of laughter. These became medicine. They made me brave.
This is the core of my work now — helping people just like you shift from surviving to living.
Even when it hurts.
Even when it’s hard.
Especially because it’s hard.
So if you’re feeling disconnected from your joy… please know:
There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re not broken. You’re not alone.
You just need to be reminded of your light. And I can help with that.
Let’s fill in the joy gaps. Together.
With love and light, and belief in your brave life,
Allegra Cohen