“I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.”
-Frida Kahlo
“All we can do is be authentic to who we really are, to honor our deepest and truest parts of ourselves. There have been so many moments in my life when the only thing that could truly comfort me was music. Knowing that I could sit alone in my room and create a song to express the way I felt brought me so much comfort. It helped me to learn how to love my solitude. I encourage each and every one of you to find the same thing for yourself and nurture it every single day.” -Demi Lovato
I recently purchased a copy of the book, “Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year” by Demi Lovato. I don’t know how much you know about her story. So, I want to give a little bit of background. She was raised in Texas by her mother and step-father. She was bullied through her early years, and she has been outspoken about the prevention of bullying in her career. She got her break on the Disney channel as the star of “Camp Rock”. While her career was taking off, she was battling her own demons behind the scenes. In 2010, Lovato checked herself into a rehab facility to address an eating disorder, self-injurious behavior, addiction, and, as she would find out in the facility, bipolar disorder. Lovato has since left the facility and continued on her road to recovery. She has been extremely vocal about her struggled in hopes of helping others overcome their own difficulties. Lovato said of this book, “One of the things that has helped me in my recovery is taking every day one day at a time and I am a firm believer in starting off the day right with an inspirational quote and sort of a morning meditation … So, I put together 365 of my favorite quotes and a little morning meditation for everybody” (full article).
I love this idea of knowing yourself and finding what you love. When we are alone and begin to overthink, we go to our coping mechanisms. If we can find what we are passionate about, we can better cope with times of stress and other negative emotions. It is so important to have healthy coping mechanisms! Having a passion that helps us feel fulfilled and happy allows us to employ healthy ways of coping. It helps to boost our confidence and improves our self-image. One of the symptoms of so many mood disorders is the feeling of worthlessness. Finding that thing that gives you purpose can help fight those feelings.
I love reading each quote in Demi Lovato’s book. It gives me a direction and a new perspective each day. I am not saying that everyone has to read this book, but I do think that taking time to meditate and get inspiration each day is important. Find something that inspires you!
Finding Peace in the Chaos 