Demi Lovato has largely stayed out of the spotlight for the last year, but recently opened up about self-love, strength, and living an authentic life.
"I've never been more in tune with who I am than where I'm at today," Lovato told guests at the 2019 Teen Vogue Summit.
The singer went on to speak candidly about the years she struggled with an eating disorder and alluded to it being a source of destructive behavior. Lovato also shared what she plans on doing differently moving forward.
"What I wasn't ever open with myself about was, whenever I was in the gym I was doing it to an unhealthy extreme," Lovato said. "I think that's what led me down a darker path — I was still engaging in these behaviors. Embracing my body as it is naturally is why I took the month of October off the gym."
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Lovato was hospitalized in July 2018 for a reported overdose. A month earlier in June, Lovato released an emotional surprise single, “Sober,” where she apologized to her family, friends, and fans for breaking six years of sobriety. While her recovery is ongoing, she celebrated a major sobriety milestone in October 2018 and seems to be on the path of living her most authentic life.
Lovato shared a similar message about body acceptance and self-love back in September. She posted an unedited photo of herself in a bikini, which at the time she called her “biggest fear,” but shared after growing tired of “trying to meet someone else’s standards.”
"Over the past five years I've learned life is not worth living unless you're living for yourself. If you're trying to be someone you're not, or you're trying to please other people, it's not going to work out in the long run," she said at the summit. "If you want to dye your hair purple, dye your hair purple. If you want to love someone of the same sex, love someone of the same sex. Be yourself and don't be afraid of what people think."