Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato discuss coronavirus stress tips on new Instagram talk show

Amidst the coronavirus crisis, lots of people are stuck at home in order to stop the virus from spreading as easily. Some are making the most of it. Miley Cyrus, for her part, has taken to hosting an afternoon talk show on her Instagram Live with the aim of providing fans with some positivity during this stressful time. Though she kicked things off with her therapist on Monday, Cyrus brought on a big-name guest for the second episode on Tuesday: Demi Lovato. Watch it here.

Bright Minded: Live With Miley is about, in Cyrus' words, "bringing light to a dark time." The conversations are meant to revolve around wellness tips and mental/physical exercises to help listeners deal with the new stresses in their lives. Lovato has previously gone public about her struggles with body image and addiction, so she was more than up for the discussion.

"My whole purpose with coming clean with everything I’ve been through is to help someone else," Lovato told Cyrus during their conversation. "I remember when I was 12, my body started changing, and I didn’t have anyone in Hollywood to look up to at the time who had a normal body. I kind of made a vow to myself, when I get older I just want to represent what I didn’t have. I want to be that for someone, and I remembered I had a little sister and I needed to be there for her first and foremost. I talked about my struggles with food and stuff and I'm glad I did because it’s brought me and my fans closer. Maybe it’s helped young people learn to accept their bodies when they start to change. I definitely never want my fans to worry. When you texted me and said hey would you do this thing, I was like abso-f---ing-lutely. Anything I can do to help anybody right now. We’re in our palaces, isolated, locked up, not doing anything. If we can be a light to somebody then amen, let’s do it."

For those interested in celebrity friendships, Cyrus and Lovato also talked about some of their shared history as child stars who came up through the Disney system. When Lovato was grasping for words to describe their initial connection as teenagers, Cyrus laughed, "maybe we were just gay as f---!"

Later, Cyrus said that she was always jealous of Lovato's skin, which made her feel bad about her own acne. So she asked Lovato for her advice on dealing with nagging thoughts that are harmful to dwell on, especially with everyone cooped up at home these days.

"When I did my song 'Confident,' my message was that I was so confident. But in reality, I was working out so much and eating such a strict diet that I wasn’t confident," Lovato said. "Now I feel like I’m more confident than I was back then. I may be a little heavier now but I’m also happier and that’s better to me. I would take that over being thinner and more miserable every day.

Lovato continued, "After going through so much stuff that I did, I realized the quality of life that I want isn’t in dieting and extreme exercising, it’s in being happy. So when I have a negative thought come into my head, I go back to my values. I ask, will this help me tomorrow? There’s a thing about body affirmation I used to tell people all the time: 'Tell yourself you’re beautiful and that you love yourself.' But the reality is you don’t always feel that way. I still sometimes struggle with body dysmorphia, but if I can look in the mirror and say I’m grateful for the body that’s gotten me through every day of my life, no matter what I’ve put it through, I’m grateful for the health and strength that I have today, that helps me stay grounded in my body and stop those negative body image thoughts."

Bright Minded: Live With Miley is set to take place every day this week at 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 p.m. ET. Check it out on Cyrus' Instagram.

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