To call Sophia Bush a multi-hyphenate may be under-selling things. She’s an actor, a philanthropist, and an author of the forthcoming book, And I Will Tell You Mine: Notes from a Life in Progress. Bush hosts the podcast “Work In Progress,” that explores both the personal and professional lives of guests like Dr. Jill Biden, Malala Yousafzi, and more. She’s continually spoken out on issues of women’s rights and the importance of political engagement. How’s that for an intro?
But, to juggle so many roles (including life with her family, wife Ashlyn Harris and Harris’ two children), also requires care, and the ability to relax (at least a little). So what does she do in her off time? Firstly, sleep in.
Bush, in addition to finding time for herself, is helping others to carve out time for their wellbeing. For World Mental Health Day, Busy has partnered with BetterHelp to offer 10,000 hours of free therapy to listeners of her podcast, “Work In Progress.” Read more about her wellbeing practices below.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
The moment I wake up, I go to brush my teeth. I’m not one of those people who can wait for that, and I try to get a tall glass of water in right away. It seems so trite, but it is really important after sleep.
I’m a coffee person right after that. I know you’re supposed to not have caffeine on an empty stomach, but it’s just part of my morning ritual. I do a pour over. I love the smell of it. I grind beans every morning. It’s just a thing that I love.
Are you on your phone first thing?
My phone is also usually my alarm clock, and so it’s a little hard not to. I do try very consciously to use it for what I need, and then put it down. That is also part of why I really enjoy my coffee making because it’s active. I’m doing something with my hands, which means I’m not holding my phone in my hands.
There was a period where I was really on top of it, and I was actually charging my phone in my bathroom. But, when you have young kids, I always have my phone close to me because what if there’s an emergency? You don’t have the luxury of putting the phone in the kitchen drawer.
What is your favorite self-care ritual?
My favorite self-care ritual is sleeping in when I can. I don’t get to do it very often and when I have a morning where I can wake up without an alarm, I feel like I’ve won the lottery.
When you have the chance to treat yourself, what do you do?
Gosh, I mean, honestly, for me, it’s a great meal. Going to a restaurant; I love meeting friends for dinner.
Do you have a favorite workout or wellness practice?
I’m in a little bit of a rut with working out. With the demands of my schedule and time, it’s not something I’m really in a groove with. Having little ones, you’re running around and playing with them all the time. I realize I’m very active in this stage, but I’m not doing the hour in the gym weightlifting or going to a Pilates class. I miss Pilates a lot, so I think I need to figure out how to get that back in the mix.
What’s something that is like a small stress-saving luxury when you’re home that you swear by?
I really like to batch cook. I do a massive one pot chicken soup probably once a week. I make a big pot of chili. As of this week, once a week, it’s chili season. Doing something that mainly solves for schedules that get packed or curveballs that come in. Then, I’m not digging through the pantry eating an old bag of Doritos because there’s nothing else in the house. I find that’s a really good life hack. Making sure you’re feeding yourselves well is a game changer for a busy gal.
For all of the things that adulthood brings, one of the most difficult is having to invent what to eat for dinner every night.
Every day I’m like, I can’t believe I have to do this again. Hot meals are huge, especially when you figure out how to make them really nutrient dense. I also will do pre-batched protein shakes in mason jars, and then put them in the freezer. Then, every morning I just dump something in the blender and put the almond or hemp milk in it and blend it up.
If I can just solve the decision fatigue and also the lack of time, it really does change my life.
What’s your go-to secret weapon when you want to look and feel good?
I want to sort of roll my eyes thinking about this because I also hate doing it, but if I really want to feel great, I have to properly blow out my hair. I almost never do it because it’s such a pain, but it does make a difference. I will say that having a [Dyson] Airwrap is a pretty great hack. It definitely makes it easier.
What’s the best piece of relationship advice you’ve ever received?
It’s crucial to never go to bed angry. Perhaps, some of those old adages that are so well known are so ubiquitous because they really are just so true for everyone. Relationships are tricky because they’re one of those things that we receive a lot of messaging about without realizing it. We absorb so many stories, and it takes a long time to figure out which of those stories come from the outside and which ones actually feel like your own.
So that is almost even more important than a prescriptive piece of advice. You actually really have to figure out what you want rather than what society tells you to want. How you feel rather than how people tell you you must be feeling based on what your life looks like from the outside. The best relationship advice is probably to be in such a healthy and honest relationship with yourself that whatever relationships you create in your world with friends or loved ones, or a partner, actually are good for you. Not just some list that you’re checking off.
Do you remember your first big splurge? Do you still own it?
Oh gosh, I do. When I did my first TV job in college, I went to Bloomingdale’s at the Century City Mall, and I bought myself a Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket. It was a persimmon color, and it’s very bohemian. I just loved it, and I still have it in a box with my senior prom dress and my high school sweatshirt with our mascot on it. Just a few things from that era I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of.
What’s one thing you want to go back and tell your younger self?
I would love to look at that younger version of myself, and also young women I come into contact with, and say, “these worlds you live by, are they yours?” You deserve to have that kind of agency. You deserve to be the one writing your own permission slip. Women in our world are traditionally over-advised, but under-permissioned. They’ll say, “Yeah, go out there, be a girl boss, be ambitious, but you know, don’t make sure you’re not bothering anybody.” Is that what you want me to twist myself into? How am I supposed to juggle all of those things and make it look easy?
I wish I could have asked myself some of those questions, giving myself that much agency sooner. But also, you don’t learn something until you learn it, and that’s why I feel really excited to have the kinds of conversations I have on my podcast, so that other young women can take part in them. It’s also why I feel really excited to be publishing my first book to share some of that stuff, so hopefully other girls can leapfrog and come to their own conclusions sooner. With all the years I’ve worked with BetterHelp on “Work In Progress,” we are now launching into this greater partnership where I get to give away 10,000 free hours of therapy to my listeners. Maybe if I’d had access to that sooner, I would have had answers sooner. It all just feels really purposeful, and that-that’s a big goal for me.
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