Selena Gomez doesn't want to keep her mental health journey to herself.
As an actress and singer in the public eye, the 28-year-old knows she has fans who look up to her. So when given the opportunity to share her struggles with anxiety and depression, Selena knew she had to speak out.
"For me, I had to give up social media… so I would go through these periods when I wouldn't [use my accounts]," she shared in a joint interview with mom Mandy Teefey for The Newsette. "But I got so angry that my story was twisted into so many different things. The first time I posted [again], I was like, ‘I claim my own story, so if you don't hear it from me, then it's not true. Did I go and get help? Yes I did. But I'm not ashamed. I feel better and I feel like I can understand a lot of things now.'"
Selena continued, "I think that was my moment when I knew [nobody] was going to take my story away from me. And I really do believe that I made the circle, if you will, of making the media look like s--t if they're making fun of someone who has mental health issues."
Back in April 2020, Selena joined Miley Cyrus in an Instagram Live where she publicly shared that she is bipolar.
Before that, the "Come and Get It" singer opened up about therapy and seeking help for her mental health. "My highs were really high, and my lows would take me out for weeks at a time," the star described to WSJ Magazine. "I found out I do suffer from mental health issues...I got on the right medication, and my life has been completely changed."
Today, Selena continues to use her voice to raise awareness while helping others who may be suffering in silence. And despite the few online critics, the former Disney star doesn't plan on becoming quiet.
"I don't really care what people think about me," Selena proclaimed in her latest interview. "On my own social media, I got to tell the truth. And once I started claiming my own name, I think people understood my mental health journey. Now I get to support other people, and with the Rare Impact Fund, we're pledging to donate $100 million in 10 years to mental health causes, so now I get to talk more openly about mental health to hopefully help others."
And with the holidays approaching, Selena is opening up about when she feels most happy. As it turns out, she loves being surrounded by music and her trustworthy family.
"It's so nice to be so close to them," she explained. "I'm just a girl with a regular family… people fighting over something, someone yelling, someone playing games... it just feels good. I'm definitely most at peace right now, just being with people that I love that don't want anything from me."