3 ways Nicole Kidman squeezes self care into her schedule

It seems as though Nicole Kidman never stops. Since the ’90s, she’s been in countless blockbusters like Moulin Rouge, The Hours, and Eyes Wide Shut, she’s a UN Women goodwill ambassador, and she recently won an Emmy for her performance in the hit-series Big Little Lies (which puts her halfway to her EGOT). So any wellness-minded person can’t help but wonder: How does she ever make time for herself?

“I would run around wanting to take care of everybody else—I think that was just being the oldest child in the family,” Kidman tells me over lunch (I know, I can’t believe it either) in Cape Cod at an event for Swisse, a supplement company she’s currently repping. “I get joy from it, but a lot of the times I would go, ‘Oh well, I’m not going to worry about myself.'”

So just how did she go from time-stretched teen to Academy Award-winning actress slaying the wellness game, too?

Keep reading for Kidman’s secrets to finding time for self-care.

Stay active

Kidman jokes that one way she manages to “survive” is by carving out time to sweat. “I was raised by a father who would get me and my sister out of bed in the morning and go, ‘Okay, you’ve gotta work out,'” says Kidman. “He’d make us walk to school instead of catching the bus—which I’m now grateful for—but at the time, it was like: ‘Ugh!'”

To stay moving, she loves running, playing tennis, and practicing yoga. “If I can find an hour a day (or half an hour) to either meditate or work out, do yoga, do something for my physical self, I’m good,” she says.

Get proper nutrients

Kidman says that she regularly takes a ginger shot and drinks wheatgrass to keep her immunity boosted. She also likes to have supplements on hand. “I do take vitamins—I believe that they work and that they keep me well,” she says. “I travel so much, so that’s just part of my structure. I’ll take my Swisse Women’s Multivitamin and vitamin C—it just feels like I’m giving my body some help.”

Stick with the basics

Even though it sounds so simple, making the time for certain rituals helps Kidman to feel more grounded. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gone, ‘I need to take a little more time for myself,'” she admits. “But as a working mum finding that time can be sometimes be difficult. So even if it’s putting on makeup and doing my hair, I try to find time.”

Kidman notes that despite her packed schedule, she loves what she does. “We’re all pushed and pulled in so many directions,” she says. “I don’t know anyone that goes, ‘Eh, I’ve got it all under control.’ I’m not in the position where I have to drive myself, but I still have the passion artistically, and I have the passion for the world. I love being a participator and a contributor.”

When all else fails, the mother of four likes to play with her kids. “It gives me so much joy,” she says.

For more self-love inspo, here’s how to make self care a priority with Nitika Chopra. And these are Elle Macpherson’s 5 self-care basics for super-charged energy.