Relief and happiness feel similar because both arrive as the absence of something. When pressure lifts, the lightness is easy to read as joy, and decisions made in that moment can be about escape rather than about what you actually want. Ending something bad is not the same as finding something good.

After a pressure lifts, wait before concluding what it means. Ask whether you feel good or simply no longer bad. Both are worth having and only one of them tells you where to go next.