[ajsharp]

I'd focus on the back part. Why was programming joyful then? Why is it not now?

Maybe it's the environment? The language? The community?

I think certain people's brains work better with different languages. Often there's an overlap with community. I started my career in ruby, and still write it as much as I can, though these days, not usually for "work". I love writing it, and it's creator wrote it to be loved when you're writing it. Even though python shares a lot of similarity with Ruby, I find it frustrating in a lot of the little details and design decisions, and I just don't enjoy writing it like I enjoy writing Ruby.

I don't particularly enjoy writing javascript, but I've always enjoyed writing Swift. I also enjoy go, though find some of it's design decisions on the margins perplexing, pedantic and annoying.

Experiment with different languages. Find something you understand, that your brain doesn't have to fight with.

Also, get a hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with computers. Do something tactile -- baking, carpentry, fixing things. The raw difficulty of manipulating things in the real world is both deeply satisfying, and gives me a deeper appreciation for the ease and elegance of manipulating computers with software.

Hope this helps. Good luck.