Purpose: This study investigated how clinical nurses construct and experience ‘happiness’ in contemporary nursing practice and their lives. Nurses frequently encounter emotional labor, organizational pressure, and high-intensity care demands; therefore, understanding their perceptions of happiness provides meaningful insights into their professional well-being and workforce sustainability. Methods: A qualitative content analysis was conducted through in-depth interviews with 22 clinical nurses working in general and tertiary hospitals. Data were collected from January–March 2025 and analyzed using content analysis as proposed by Krippendorff (2018) to identify themes reflecting the nurses’ lived experiences. Results: Five major themes were derived: (1) Enduring the weight of professionalism while growing through instability; (2) Experiencing comfort and healing through the solidarity of “us”; (3) Embracing burnout and emotional wounds to rise again; (4) Drawing boundaries between work and life to protect oneself; and (5) Finding small moments of stability and gratitude embedded in ordinary days. These themes suggested that nurses’ experience of happiness is a multilayered process shaped by professional responsibility, collegial relationships, emotional recovery, self-protection strategies, and appreciation of daily life. Conclusion: Nurses’ happiness extended beyond individual emotional states and was deeply influenced by organizational culture, interpersonal support, professional identity, and the ability to recover from ongoing psychological burden. These findings highlight the need to build healthier work environments, promote emotional support systems, and strengthen policies to enhance nurses’ well-being and long-term retention.