Just when I thought I couldn't love Demi Lovato even more, she goes ahead and shares such a beautiful inspirational message on Instagram, it moved me to tears! Dammit, Demi!
The 22-year-old "I Really Don't Care" singer posted a photo montage of herself on Instagram Monday, captioning it with a personal message to her fans. "This picture makes me feel so many mixed emotions," Demi writes in reference to the four side-by-side pics of herself posing on the red carpet at the VMAs over the course of her career. "I remember the day I wore the dress in the very first picture. I remember asking for Spanx to flatten my stomach because I use to feel so heavy and 'fat.' Now looking at this picture, you can clearly see my hip bones. It makes me sad because I wasted so many years ashamed of my body when I could've been living the happy and healthy life I live today. It TRULY just goes to show you that your perceptions can lie to you. Or they can make you learn to enjoy life."
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To look at Demi today, it's pretty hard to believe there was ever a time when the former Disney darling felt ashamed of her body. But the truth of the matter is, those dark days did exist for the star. Demi checked into the Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center in 2010 to deal with "physical and emotional issues," two years after the first photo in the montage was snapped. Upon the completion of the program, in 2011, Demi revealed she had been suffering from bulimia and a bipolar disorder, in addition to other mental health issues.
In the years since, Demi has grown stronger and seems to be coming into her own. As you can see from the subsequent photos featured in Monday's montage, Demi finally appears to be at ease in her own skin.
"Fortunately looking at the picture of myself in the red dress yesterday, I not only feel so grateful for the love and support I've had from fans, friends and family, but… I also feel.. beautiful," she continues. "I'm so excited to live my life the way I deserve to and to the complete fullest. Thank you guys once again.. I'm so thankful for my Lovatics. I love you… And never forget that staying strong is worth it."
I tell you, I was crying like a Kardashian by the time I reached the end of Demi's message. I too suffered from an extremely destructive eating disorder in my late teens and early twenties. I wasted four years of my life trying my hardest to be thin. I used to tape photos of skinny celebrities to the inside of my closet in an effort to prevent myself from overeating. I would also eat no more than 800 calories a day. At one point–I guess you could say this was my rock bottom–I got upset because I couldn't make myself throw up. I believe my exact words to myself were, "You're such a failure. Who fails at making themselves throw up? Loser!"
These days, I see that I too "wasted so many years ashamed of my body when I could've been living the happy and healthy life I live today." But never again. Much like Demi, I'm focused on living my life to the fullest. Life's too short not to.
Images via Getty Images, ddlovato/Instagram
