It might seem like joy and career don’t mix well—and if joy is essential to your happiness, you may want to change. But joy isn’t always connected with our emotions. It can be cultivated. It’s a practice, not an emotion or feeling that descends on us unexpectedly.

As the saying goes, “When you do what you love, it doesn’t feel like work.” We have heard this many times and know intuitively that joy at work exists for people who create joy in their work. But joy is more than that—it’s the overarching experience of infusing it into your life, whether you are working or not.

Here are seven great ways to find joy and peace at work:

1. Mindfulness Meditation/Prayer

Meditation/prayer is essential for joy at work because it reduces stress and sharpens your focus. When our thoughts are cluttered, and we’re distracted, joy is next to impossible. Meditation helps us gain control of our thoughts and emotions. Meditating at work can help you focus on your tasks and keep your joy intact.

2. Slow Down

Doing things quickly isn’t the same as doing them efficiently. It might seem counterintuitive, but taking your time at work can help you feel joy and peace. Overworking at the expense of mindfulness only increases your stress level. By slowing down, you reduce anxiety and increase joy.

It’s a good idea to turn off all distractions at work. This includes putting your phone on silent and not refreshing social media sites every five seconds—and don’t answer the door! By eliminating distractions, you give yourself priority over everything else. And it can help us be much more productive at the beginning of the day.

3. Be Grateful

If having joy at work is something you struggle with, try to acknowledge the things that are going well at work. When you focus on what is successful, you feel better. Sometimes you can joy in the simplest acts—knowing that you have a job to go to and co-workers who value your contributions can be satisfying all by itself.

Acknowledging gratitude is important for joy at work. Being grateful brings joy to the present moment and helps cultivate happiness for your future. A simple daily practice of writing down five things you are grateful for (personal and work) can help shift your perspective and open joy – this helps me tremendously.

4. Focus on What You Do Well

If we spend our time dwelling on our shortcomings, our minds will be negative. Focusing on what you do well and recognizing your successes is important. Your joy is cultivated when you give yourself permission to be present and acknowledge the moment.

If joy at work is a challenge for you, write down three things you do well every day, even if they seem small or not connected to your job title. If joy at work is tied to your sense of identity, it’s important to separate joy from what you do and who you are.

5. Change Your Perspective

If having joy at work seems impossible, think about this: it is a choice. There’s no joy in basing your self-worth on what you do (or don’t) do for a living because joy can exist in any job if it’s chosen. So when you feel your joy slipping away, remember that it comes from within and not without – do not let anything or anyone steal it from you.

Working in a place that inspires joy is more than just having pictures on the wall of things you enjoy. It’s dedicating yourself to creating joy by surrounding yourself with the right people and routines to make it happen.

6. Leave Work at Work

We all need a break from work—not five minutes to scan the Internet, not thirty-minute lunch breaks where you tweet and check your email, but a real break. If this is a challenge, set boundaries and never let your job follow you outside the office.

Having joy at work doesn’t mean having joy 24/7 – it means finding joy in the middle of what you do (or don’t) get paid to do; we can enjoy our jobs without loving them. This can be difficult when your joy at work is tied to your sense of purpose or joy in the job itself.

7. Take Time for Yourself

Schedule joy. If joy at work is elusive, take time out of your day to do things you enjoy. Maybe it’s walking around the block or taking ten minutes during lunch to read. Whatever it is, joy comes from being intentional about what makes you feel good—not surfing your phone for two hours or watching Netflix without realizing it.

Our lives at work (and everywhere) are constantly changing, but how we experience them is up to us. If you’re used to working in a traditional 9-5 job and your company implements 4-day weeks or flex hours, the joy of these changes is in their freedom. Imagine how joy at work can change when you decide to take back your Sundays!

8. Distance Yourself From Energy Vampires

You know who these people are – the complainers, gossipers, kingdom-builders. Yuck, you don’t need or have time for that! They are draining, and you need to avoid them. Spend time with people you like at work and add value to your work life.

If you are around people who constantly bring you down, they will rub off on you and try to steal your joy (likely without you knowing it) – so it’s important to distance yourself from them!

Many people believe joy in the workplace is an oxymoron. But joy comes from within, and it’s possible to find joy in the work you do every day, no matter your job title. When you take your happiness into your own hands, look beyond what others think, and focus on creating joy for yourself – this then becomes contagious, and you will spill over to others. The bottom line is joy in the workplace is possible, and each day we find joy not just at work but everywhere! I hope you do too.

But why is it so hard for us to quit these jobs that suck the life out of us? Here are 5 reasons why you are still stuck.

1. The Compensation Package is Great

Maybe you receive an amazing benefits package with free health insurance, subsidized gym memberships or massages, free meals in the company cafeteria, and days off during the week to use for traveling or chillout days. Often, your job benefits outweigh the nature of the environment you’re in.

You might also stay because you need that fat check every two weeks to pay your rent/mortgage, pay off your student loans or credit card debt, and maybe even fund a retirement account or savings goal. If you leave, your mind will continue to worry about the financial burden you’ve incurred. I have a friend that stays at her job solely for the medical benefits for her and her family.

2. You Don’t Know How To Market Yourself

You spend all day in your soul-sucking job, and it’s so easy to fall into a groove where you do the same tasks every day without thinking about how you can add value or get noticed. You might find yourself in a rut, unsure how to move up the ladder or even what your next steps should be.

The thought of looking for a new job fills you with anxiety, but it doesn’t need to. You have to accept that soul-sucking jobs might not always pay off in the end. Try writing down all the things you can do to sell yourself or your project, and start taking real steps towards making it happen.

3. You Are Used to a Familiar Routine

The routine at this job might be all you know or want to know. You are already used to what/who is good, what/who is bad, and how to deal with it. You’ve been there for what feels like forever – decades, even. This is where your money and livelihood come from; this is how you keep a roof over your head and support your family.

I know many people who let fear consume them and refuse to seek new opportunities, even within their organization. But if you never look, you will never know what different looks like. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, try switching things up. Take on a project that pushes you to learn new skills, acquire new experiences or acquire a brand new certification. You might find another calling that you never knew existed.

4. You Are Afraid of Failure

You might be too afraid to leave your soul-sucking job because other options out there might be the same as what you currently have. The change can be scary but necessary if you want to grow. You likely feel secure where you are now and have doubts that another job would be any better.

If you stay, you run the risk of plateauing, stagnating, and getting stuck. But if you change your surroundings, you can bring out new sides to yourself that never had a chance to grow.

One of the most important lessons to learn in life is that there is no such thing as certainty. Life is uncertain, but what will happen if you don’t take action? You could leave your soul-sucking job for a new one and get fired the next day, or you could lose your current job just as easily. Either way, you will never know if you don’t try. Fearing the unknown should not be what keeps you from making needed changes to your life.

5. You Have Forgotten Who You Are on the Inside

Your job has sucked the life out of you, along with all of your time and energy, and you have forgotten your passion and purpose. You’ve slowly begun to believe that this is all you deserve and can achieve.

If you’re stuck in a soul-sucking job, it’s time to get outside your comfort zone and do something that makes you feel alive. You need a change of scenery to help bring back the real you because your draining job can make everything and everyone else seem less important or fulfilling.

In a twisted way, your job can be addicting since it might be the only thing bringing in an income or the only thing you identify with. Leaving your soul-sucking job can feel like you’re leaving your comfort zone, but that’s the only way you will ever know what it feels like to be comfortable in your own skin.

Take a moment to visualize how life would look if you could walk away from this nasty job without feeling guilty or thinking something terrible would happen. It might feel liberating, and you might even be overcome with excitement.

Try writing down all the things you can do to sell yourself or your project, and start taking real steps towards making it happen. You are more capable than you know. Determine what skills you have that will make others want to hire you.

Remember, nothing will ever change for the better if you don’t take action. Do yourself a favor, and take the initiative to begin the steps towards finding fulfilling work that will help you grow. Discover your passions and know that your job does not define you and another opportunity has your name on it, whether it’s another job or turning your side hustle into your full-time thing!