Tracee Ellis Ross Considers Eating Soup Self-Care

Tracee Ellis Ross is a woman on the move. The Golden Globe-winning actress, producer, director, former InStyle cover star, and inclusivity advocate just added another notch to her belt this fall – entrepreneur – as she launched Pattern, her new haircare line specifically formulated for natural hair.

On stage at Summit, a recent TED Talk-style ideas conference held in Los Angeles, Ross was joined by Starbucks COO Rosalind Brewer for a discussion on the changing face of corporate America. In between topics like personal responsibility and accountability, creating more career opportunities for Black women, and celebrating natural beauty, Ross dropped some unexpected self-care tips that are honestly accessible to pretty much anyone. “I’m huge on self-care,” the star said. “The amount of output that I do in my career, both now with Pattern and as an actress, and all these different areas, is so big, that the input has to be as well." Balancing the flow of energy in and out, a core tenant of many wellness practices, is something that is easy to forget when life seems to move so quickly – and that can go double for someone born into the fast lane to one Diana Ross.

“There’s no way to match how much the output is, but I meditate,” Ross shared. “I take a lot of baths. I like to eat soup because you’re forced to eat slow; I like to be mindful while I’m doing things [laughs]. I don't have a dishwasher – I wash my own dishes." That's right — if you thought you needed a pricey crystals habit and a salt cave in order to unwind, Ms. Ross sets a very seasonal reminder to find peace in the seemingly mundane, find beauty in slowing down, seek solace in the everyday. Also, who doesn’t love a cozy soup in fall or winter? (When this question was posed to the InStyle team, the answer was a rounding "soup year-round!") “These are things that tether me to the reality, authenticity, and the truth of my life, that is also my favorite part of my life that gives me this heart that I have," Ross said.

VIDEO: Tracee Ellis Ross' Latest Hairstyle Will Give Every Black Girl Serious Nostalgia

Another self-care tip that's easy to practice? Solitude — and that includes in your dating life. At 46, the style guru is happily single and a self-love advocate. “I am single, and the beauty of that is that I actually get to be choiceful in cultivating those people around me." If you've been taking notes, the Tracee Ellis Ross guide to self-care is a pretty simple list: eat soup, take baths, do dishes, be single, and be mindful. “Those are things that make me feel really good and that’s how I have the fuel to keep moving forward. Plus I have a great family — we’re five siblings and there are six grandkids."

If the busy holiday season feels stressful already, perhaps take a note from Tracee's book and put up a pot of soup — or, take her advice slightly less literally and simply slow down.