Not just happiness. Not simply feeling like things are going well. But that feeling of being completely present in a moment, where you forget about your worries, your responsibilities and everything waiting for you afterwards.

Recently, I went to see Harry Styles perform. As I looked around the stadium, I noticed something that stayed with me long after the concert ended. Thousands of people were singing, dancing and laughing together. For a few hours, people weren’t thinking about their to-do lists, their stresses or the things they needed to solve. They were simply enjoying the moment.

It made me think about how rarely, as adults, we allow ourselves to experience that kind of joy.

As children, joy often came naturally. We played, explored and got excited about small things. But as we get older, life can become filled with responsibilities, expectations and pressure. Work, relationships, family commitments and everyday stresses can leave little room for the things that make us feel truly alive.

Sometimes joy starts to feel like something we have to earn. We tell ourselves we’ll relax when work calms down, when we finish that task, when life becomes less busy. But often, there will always be something else demanding our attention.

Joy isn’t a luxury. It is an important part of our emotional wellbeing.

Finding moments of joy can help us reconnect with ourselves. It reminds us that we are more than our responsibilities and challenges. It allows us to experience connection, creativity, playfulness and gratitude.

For some people, stress, anxiety, low mood or difficult relationships can make it harder to access those feelings. They may feel like they have lost the person they used to be, or struggle to remember what they genuinely enjoy.

Counselling can provide a space to explore this. Sometimes, reconnecting with ourselves means looking at what has changed, what we have lost along the way, and what we would like to bring back into our lives.

Joy does not have to come from big experiences like concerts or holidays. It can be found in smaller moments too: laughing with someone you love, listening to music, spending time in nature, trying something new, or simply allowing yourself time to do something because it makes you happy.

So, when was the last time you felt pure joy?

If it feels like it has been a while, perhaps that is something worth exploring. You deserve moments that bring you happiness, connection and a sense of being fully yourself