Self-care and nourishment aren’t just about healthy habits—they’re about restoration, resilience and reclaiming wellbeing in a world that often makes these things harder to access.

Life is busy and full of daily stressors, making it even more important to pause and take care of ourselves. One social determinant of health is social connectedness. Some individuals find comfort and connectedness in their cultural roots, which can be a powerful source of strength.

Research shows that for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), communities experience higher rates of diet-related illnesses like diabetes, obesity and heart disease—conditions that can increase chronic stress and affect mental health.

Practicing self-care and making intentional nutrition choices can lower stress, uplift your spirit and strengthen your mental wellbeing. Consider these tips.          

1. Breathe and be still: Incorporate deep breathing, mindfulness, or meditation practices into your daily routine—even just a few minutes a day can help. Practices like belly breathing, grounding meditations or guided visualizations are essential to self-care. Traditions rooted in Indigenous, African, Asian or Latin American traditions can promote calm and clarity while honoring cultural healing practices.
2. Move with joy: Movement doesn’t have to be intense to be beneficial. If you feel connected to your culture through music, this is a great opportunity to add movement to it. Make it a habit—movement can be medicine.
3. Seek affirming support: Mental health care should be culturally responsive and affirming. Look for providers or peer support spaces that recognize the impact of systemic inequities and understand your cultural background. Whether through therapy, coaching or community healing activities, the right support can help you feel seen, safe and empowered.
4. Explore nutrient-rich foods: Nourish your body with foods that honor your cultural heritage like collard greens, bok choy, amaranth, seaweed, yuca, squash or any foods that are traditional in your culture. Most traditional diets are rich in vitamins and minerals that support cognitive function, emotional balance and sustained energy.
5. Honor culinary traditions: Preparing familiar foods from your culture can bring back special memories, honor your roots and create a sense of comfort and connection. You can use ingredients such as herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cilantro or cumin—many have natural anti-inflammatory and mood-supporting properties. Preparing meals with loved ones can also foster connection and joy.

When we honor our roots through self-care and nourishment, we restore balance and build resilience.

Visit MagellanHealthcare.com/BIPOC-MH for more information and helpful resources.

SOURCES:

• SD Food Vision 2030
• Harvard Health

Creating inclusive communities where Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) feel a sense of belonging and support is important to their wellbeing. Research shows individuals with strong social connections are 50% more likely to live longer and have a better chance of preventing serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke, dementia, anxiety and depression.

Here are five ways you can connect with BIPOC to cultivate culture, community and connection.           

1. Explore the values, beliefs and traditions of diverse cultures: Exploring BIPOC articles, books, documentaries, cultural museums, languages or cuisines can cultivate respect, empathy and inclusivity.
2. Seek authentic connections: Build meaningful BIPOC relationships by finding common ground, personally and professionally. Genuine cultural connections can emerge from supportive neighboring, discussing shared interests or embracing diverse perspectives to achieve common goals.
3. Engage in community activities: Volunteer to support the BIPOC community by assisting at events or with organizations serving BIPOC populations.
4. Promote services and resources that help BIPOC communities: Sharing information about services, resources and job opportunities online or through personal networks can aid BIPOC communities significantly.
5. Support BIPOC organizations: Strengthen community ties and show commitment to BIPOC concerns by supporting BIPOC organizations. This can include buying from local BIPOC businesses, amplifying their voices on social media and advocating for BIPOC needs in civic forums.

Together, we can build a more inclusive and supportive community for all. Every action counts in fostering culture, community, connection and BIPOC wellbeing.

For more information to increase awareness about BIPOC mental health and wellbeing and the importance of recognizing and addressing concerns, visit MagellanHealthcare.com/BIPOC-MH.

SOURCES:

• Human Connection: Why It’s Important I Psych Central
• Social Connection | CDC

When Magellan Health received word that it had been named a Fortune 500 company for the first time in our company’s history, it was cause not only for great celebration, but also reflection.

In recent years, we’ve experienced tremendous growth and momentum. Our purpose—“Leading humanity to healthy, vibrant lives”—fuels the work of our more than 10,000 associates, who are dedicated each day to making a meaningful difference in members’ health and their lives. One of our biggest growth drivers has been our ability to innovate and introduce new products that resonate and disrupt the industry across all areas of healthcare and pharmaceutical management, with the ultimate goal of delivering a consumer-centric model that improves health and health outcomes.

At Magellan, our model of care is unique in that it is both high-touch and high-tech, supported by an innovative and inclusive culture. Three keys to our success stand out.

When it comes to innovation, Magellan’s secret sauce is its culture. We continually seek people from outside the healthcare industry to challenge the status quo and help drive innovation around access to care and care quality with their unique perspectives. By providing our associates the space, flexibility and resources to experiment, we encourage creativity and offer the freedom to pursue ideas that push traditional boundaries. We put a great deal of trust in our talented colleagues instead of relying on a structure that in and of itself is defeatist for innovation.

We innovate with the member in mind. At Magellan, we’re dedicated to consumer-centric care that achieves improved outcomes by integrating healthcare across physical, behavioral and pharmaceutical services. By pioneering new strategies, we’ve been able to tackle the highest-trend components of healthcare expenditures using agile, clinically based technology and applying advanced analytics to develop next-generation solutions. This approach not only enables highly personalized services to be delivered, but also supports the best possible outcomes in the most cost-effective way for our members.

For example, roughly half of total pharmacy spend is driven by specialty drugs, with half of that specialty spend covered under medical benefits. This portion of specialty spend is typically unmanaged by pharmacy benefit managers and health plans. Magellan has differentiated itself in the specialty drug management space by pioneering innovative strategies focused on improved outcomes and value. We provide high-touch decision support tools that support specialty physicians in ordering complicated drug regimens. These tools help to ensure treatments are being administered at the most clinically appropriate site of service and are appropriately used.

We pursue atypical collaborations. Transforming healthcare requires unique collaborations to fuel new solutions that achieve disruptive change and improve health. A majority of our unique collaborations are in the digital therapeutics space. Two years ago, we partnered with Click Therapeutics to create FDA-approved therapeutic apps for treating common behavioral health conditions such as insomnia, anxiety and depression. One example is an app called ComfortAble^TM, which helps people suffering from chronic pain identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior and learn new problem-solving techniques. At a time when our nation faces an opioid epidemic, much of which stems from difficulties in managing pain, ComfortAble^TM presents an opportunity to curb the use of pharmaceuticals in pain management.

An Eye Toward Tomorrow’s Healthcare Model

As Magellan has migrated to a culture of innovation, one of our biggest learnings is the need to innovate with a small “i.” We’ve learned over time that the best ideas aren’t always going to be big, bold-stroke, billion-dollar ideas. Ultimately, we’re innovating to help people live better, healthier and more vibrant lives. That’s a purpose all of our associates, from our senior leaders to our interns, not only embrace, but act upon.

At Magellan, all of our initiatives are centered on one objective: to provide highly personalized services that support the best possible outcomes in the most cost-effective way for our members. We will continue to innovate and introduce products that resonate, disrupt the industry and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.