Beyoncé gets candid about past struggles for positive body image

American pop titan Beyoncé got candid about dealing with her past battles with insomnia and dieting as she coped with the gruelling schedule around the clock.

"I think, like many women, I have felt the pressure of being the backbone of my family and my company and didn’t realize how much that takes a toll on my mental and physical well-being," Beyoncé told Harper's Bazaar in an interview for its September "Icons" issue.

"I have not always made myself a priority. I’ve personally struggled with insomnia from touring for more than half of my life."

The hard-hitting professional struggles also made the pop icon overly conscious of her usual diet and body positivity mindset. "In the past, I spent too much time on diets, with the misconception that self-care meant exercising and being overly conscious of my body," she said.

"My health, the way I feel when I wake up in the morning, my peace of mind, the number of times I smile, what I’m feeding my mind and my body—those are the things that I’ve been focusing on."

But, shifting the focus, Beyoncé continued, to her mental health helped and in the process she learnt how to "break the cycle of poor health and neglect."

"Mental health is self-care too. I’m learning to break the cycle of poor health and neglect, focusing my energy on my body and taking note of the subtle signs that it gives me. Your body tells you everything you need to know, but I’ve had to learn to listen."