Anhedonia - Loss of Joy and Happiness

Isaiah 35:10 - And the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

​Gray - It’s not black. It’s not white.
 
Lukewarm - It’s not hot. It’s not cold.
 
Bland - It’s not spicy. It’s not sweet. It’s taste is gone.
 
It’s not joyful. It’s not sadness.
 
It’s not pleasant. It’s not ugly.
 
It’s flat. There’s no feeling at all.
 
This is an emotional state called Anhedonia.
 
Occasionally we may be in a numb state where we’ve been bombarded by so much anguish that we no longer feel anything at all. But this is the face of an emotionally healthy individual, because it only happens once in a while.
 
However, with a person who has Anhedonia the numb state lasts for a very long time and sometimes the individual never feels anything again.
                                              
Though Anhedonia can be part of a major depressive disorder, healthy-holistic-living.com, in their article, “Anhedonia,” helps us understand the difference. They also discuss signs of the condition such as a flat mood and loss of interest in normal activities.

If you experience these symptoms the first step is to see your physician who can then refer you to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist will decide what the next action in treatment will be. Treatment options can be found in the article, “Anhedonia, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery Period,” on epainassist.com.
 
Though it may feel like an impossible task to make any progress in treating Anhedonia, with God’s help, there is hope that gladness and joy will return and that you’ll find the sorry and sighing fleeing more frequently.

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