Selena Gomez has been open with fans about her struggles with mental health for years. She’s also been pretty candid about taking social media break from time to time.
However, sharing her struggles with anxiety and depression publicly has its downsides.
In a joint interview with her mom, Mandy Teefey, Selena shared how opening up about her struggles with fans has impacted her – and the steps she took to be able to tell her story her way.
“For me, I had to give up social media… so I would go through these periods when I wouldn’t [use my accounts],” Selena told 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.’”
“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,” she continued.
“I don’t really care what people think about me. 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,” Selena went on. “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.”
