Happiness and Joy During Turbulent Times: Magellan Health’s Dr. Caroline Carney On How To Live With Joie De Vivre, Even When It Feels Like The Whole World Is Pulling You Down

Find that job, pastime or hobby that you love. Even if you only like your job, love a hobby. Find that thing that makes you tick, brings you a sense of accomplishment or a sense of calm.

It sometimes feels like it is so hard to avoid feeling down or depressed these days. Between the sad news coming from world headlines, the impact of the ongoing raging pandemic, and the constant negative messages popping up on social and traditional media, it sometimes feels like the entire world is pulling you down. What do you do to feel happiness and joy during these troubled and turbulent times? In this interview series called “Finding Happiness and Joy During Turbulent Times” we are talking to experts, authors, and mental health professionals who share lessons from their research or experience about “How To Find Happiness and Joy During Troubled & Turbulent Times”.

As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Caroline Carney.

Dr. Caroline Carney, a board-certified internist and psychiatrist, serves as the chief medical officer for Magellan Health. She is a frequent advocate about behavioral health services, integrated and collaborative care, and the importance of self-care during the pandemic. Dr. Carney is also a published author and co-author for over 100 peer and non-peer reviewed publications focusing on issues surrounding comorbid medical and behavioral health conditions.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I grew up in rural Iowa, in a town of about 650 people, with four brothers and parents who both had college educations — something that was unique at the time. We loved to spend time outdoors, and I did as much as I could to keep up with my brothers, whether that was throwing a football or doing better at school…