Selena Gomez has been working on her mental health for the last two years.
The 29-year-old singer and actress had an emotional breakdown in 2018, which led her to seek dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to manage her depression and anxiety.
DBT is a modified type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that aims to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others, according to Very Well Mind.
In a recent interview with InStyle, Gomez shared how she has been dealing with her depression and anxiety.
She said of the last two years, “I became aware that my little world is complicated, but the picture is much bigger than the stuff I deal with. I have problems with depression and anxiety, and I found it difficult for me to be me.”
Gomez initially stayed away from talking about her mental health struggles on social media. She said she did so “because I realized I was in a situation where I was extremely blessed.”
She continued dealing with depression and anxiety, and then she finally realized that it would be helpful if she takes a break from all platforms.
The Feel Me singer said, “At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I’ve ever made for my mental health. I created a system where I still don’t have my passwords.”
“And the unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my phone down,” she added. “I’ll have moments where that weird feeling will come back, but now I have a much better relationship with myself.”
Gomez credited the therapy for making a huge difference in her mental health.
She said, “I’m a big believer in therapy, and I always feel so confident when I’m taking care of myself.”
“If I’m not in the best headspace and my friends invite me out, I won’t go,” she continued. “I’ve lost my sense of FOMO, which I’m proud of. Sometimes I push myself too much, and it catches up to me. But I try to balance out everything as best as I can.”
“I like to be there for my friends and celebrate everyone. But I have to make sure that I’m OK, you know? Because if I’m not OK, I can’t be OK for other people,” she added.
She initially avoided talking about her depression and anxiety but now she has made “changing the narrative of mental health” a major part of her career.
“I’m just so passionate about that, and I think I will continue to be for the rest of my life,” Gomez said. “Especially since the pandemic, there are so many people I know who craved help but had no idea how to get it. I have big aspirations for that field and really want to implement more education behind it.”
