Does happiness quickly fade? Does maintaining an attitude of joy seem like a goal that is forever out of reach?Philippians 4:4-7 tells us to not to worry, to cast our cares upon God, and to rejoice always. It challenges us to not view joy as a state of mind we stumble upon. Our feelings should not depend upon our circumstances. God empowers us to choose how we react when “life” happens to us. When our best laid plans turn to disaster, we can still have joy. Well, what does it mean to feel joy? According to Psychologies UK, joy is cultivated internally whereas happiness tends to be triggered by external forces. Still, they’re related. By strengthening the forces that influence happiness in our lives we can positively impact our mindset to experience joy more often. The habits we establish can help make it our constant attitude. Here are seven hacks to happiness, based on the book The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha, that will help cultivate a joyful heart and prepare emotional reflexes no matter what life throws our way:

3 Walks

Care for your body and mind by going outside to get fresh air and taking a walk just 3 times a week.

20 Minute Replay

Take 20 minutes daily to journal on a positive experience.

Random Acts of Kindness

Perform a random act of kindness. Pay for someone’s coffee, let someone skip ahead of you in line, give up your seat or write a thank you note!

Completely Unplug

Unplug from social media, TV or other distractions for a period of time to better engage with people, places, and moments.

Work Flow

Take a task a commit to it, find your flow and check it off your to-do list. Dive into your unique talents and gifts, brainstorm ways to cultivate them and get to work!

2-Minute Meditations

Meditate for 2 minutes a day. Find a quiet space, allow your body and mind to quiet down. Focus on giving worry over to God and on his promises for you.

5 Gratitudes

Find 5 gratitudes—things to be thankful for each week to help program your proactive reaction to life’s circumstances. You don’t need to go for them all to get started. Choose one at a time, little changes lead to big results. See how your happiness, and by extension joy, increases in seven short days.