Drew Barrymore is facing change head-on.

The actress, who turned 50 in February, says this time in her life has come with some shifts in her outward appearance. But The Drew Barrymore Show host, who opened up about her beauty journey while discussing Garnier’s latest initiativeisn’t letting them get the better of her.

Sharing that she “just went through a round of hormone therapy,” which is typically used to treat menopause symptoms, she tells PEOPLE the experience was “tough.”

“Everyone said it would be trial and error, and I just went through a lot of error,” Barrymore says. “I did not recognize the person I saw in the mirror. I was like, ‘Is that the crypt keeper? No, that’s me.’”

Sharing that her skin looked sallow and “puffy from hormones,” Barrymore says, “I just didn’t feel good about myself.”

So she took action. “Every time I feel that way, I’m like, ‘Okay, buckle down: eat cleaner, prioritize sleep, start exercising a little bit more, and just get yourself back to center,’” she explains.

“My therapist and mentor Dr. Barry Michels helped me write out a list of seven healthy habits for me that work, and I just get back to that list,” Barrymore says. “It’s actually faded over time, and I retrace it with a black pen so I can still read it perfectly because it helps.”

She continues, “It’s not good to stay stuck and not feeling confident or attractive or good about yourself. So these are just little steps you can take.”

Barrymore shares how she’s approaching some of those steps now.

“I got a little walking pad that I stuffed under my couch, and now when I eat on the couch, I get on the walking pad for 10 minutes and keep watching my show. I also started waking up 10 minutes earlier because I always felt like the last 10 minutes of getting my kids out the door for school was hell on wheels,” she says.

“I was like, ‘Okay, you can stay stuck in this s—– pattern, or you can fix it by doing everything 10 minutes earlier and seeing how it feels.’ It’s still not perfect, but it’s a little bit better. Honestly, I should wake up 10 more minutes earlier,” she admits.

Barrymore’s making adjustments to her beauty habits as well.

“I know it’s winter, I know nobody’s looking at my legs, but I shaved my legs the other day and that made me feel 20 times less like a Neanderthal,” she says.

That’s not all that made the mom of two feel good. “You know what else I did? I gave myself a home pedicure. I cleaned out my toenails. And, I got my gray roots done. These are things that we women don’t carve out time for, and then all of a sudden you look at yourself and you’re like, ‘I am not just a crypt keeper. I’m a hairy crypt keeper with dry skin,’” she continues.

The mom of Olive12, and Frankie11, whom she shares with ex-husband Will Kopelmanis realistic about how she manages her time right now, sharing, “I would’ve loved to have been shipped off to some spa in Switzerland, you know, just clean me out and hang me up and throw me back into my routine. I’m not able to do that. That is not my life right now. Until I’m retired with no kids in the house, I don’t see that happening.”

But she’s using the little time she has wisely to boost her self-esteem. “I’m walking around as if I’m a troll, and I’m not going to sink down that rabbit hole. I’m going to pull myself out. I’m going to do what I can for myself,” she says.

What also helps her feel better from inside out is when she gives herself more grace.

“I think trying to also be a little kinder to ourselves mentally and not speaking so negatively inside of our own heads has been a huge help for how good I feel about myself,” she explains.

“I watched this girl the other day jumping around in a pair of hot pants, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, if you saw me in a pair of hot pants jumping, you would not believe it.’ My butt does hang now. And I may have dark circles. But the fact that I am not eviscerating myself today, that is epic,” she says.

But sometimes when you’re in the mirror “harping on the negative, it’s best to just “get out,” Barrymore says.

“Focus on something bigger than yourself. For her, right now, that’s taking part in Garnier’s latest campaign, which she says is extra “special.”

As the beauty brand and the National Park Foundation look to “to boost nationwide conservation and restoration initiatives,” Barrymore is using her platform to get the word out.

She’s “proud and honored” to be a part of the massive initiative, she tells PEOPLE.

“Sometimes we’re so exhausted, we just don’t think we have it in us, but you do feel good about yourself when you do better,” she says.

“I think how we use our time might be as important as how we’re treating each other and the planet. If you really want to feel better, be of service: do better by the planet, do better by yourself.”

To learn more about Garnier’s partnership with the National Park Foundation, visit garnierusa.com.