Ry about ht too much! ”
confidence just dropped.” During that time, Dove says her weight was constantly on her mind. “I don’t know that I was ever in a dangerous health situation with my weight, but I was definitely thinking about it way too much,” she admits. “It even got to a point where if I didn’t work out for a day, I’d start to think that I’d done something wrong.”
“I felt like I needed to be 100 pounds!”
With thoughts like that racing through her mind on a daily basis, Dove’s focus on her weight quickly turned into an obsession. “It’s crazy because you don’t realize how bad it’s gotten until you’re crying to your mother and she’s asking you what’s wrong and you’re telling her, ‘I feel like I have to be 100 pounds for everyone to love me,’” she recalls. “You don’t notice you’re in that place until it sneaks up on you.” She continues, “It’s like you always think to yourself, I’m never gonna be that person who cares about what I look like or what people think about what I look like. Then, all the sudden you are — and you’re like, What path did I take to end up here?”
“Remember that you’re beautiful!”
Looking back, Dove can’t believe things got that far. “I don’t even know how it happened to me,” she tells J-14. Thankfully, support from her friends and family helped Dove start to feel secure in her skin again. “I find a lot of solace in talking to girls who have struggled with the same thing I did,” she opens up. “I’ve definitely healed a lot and I’m working on building up my confidence every day.” By sharing her story, Dove hopes to inspire others as well. “I just want girls everywhere to know that no matter what weight they are, they’re beautiful,” she explains. “I know sometimes it’s hard to love yourself and your body, but it’s so important to do so. Just remember that you don’t need to change your appearance for anyone!” “I think journaling can help lift your confidence if you start writing down things in it that you like about yourself,” Dove shares. “Reading back those nice things you wrote will boost your self-esteem
— trust me!” Dove doesn’t exercise just to drop weight. Instead, she does it for more energy. “It makes me feel empowered now!” she explains. Try to jog every week! Through all of her struggles, Dove’s learned an easy way to feel better. “You have to be your biggest cheerleader,” she says. “Even if you’re not feeling the best, look at your reflection and give yourself a compliment — it helps!”