Over the weekend, people around the world had conversations and raised awareness for mental health, with World Mental Health Day being on the 10th of this month. The stigma against mental health, although slowly deteriorating, is still very much present and is still stopping many from getting the assistance they need. As such, these conversations are helping to eradicate that stigma. And one celebrity in particular – who has had to battle her inner demons while in the public eye – took the time to address how the COVID-19 pandemic this year has made the conversation about mental health that much more important.
Speaking to Dr. Vivek Murthy, Selena brought up issues of loneliness and the importance of human connection in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in the almost half-hour-long session. Dr Murthy started by addressing the fact that many people have come up to him and said “I feel that if I didn’t show up tomorrow, nobody would even notice”, “I feel like I have to carry all these burdens in my life by myself” and “I feel invisible” despite being active community members (teenagers, teachers and people who had social media at their fingertips). From there, Gomez asked if the pandemic and subsequent quarantine would affect people who are introverted and extroverted differently.
The ‘Lose You To Love Me’ singer explained that as an extrovert, she felt like she needed to talk to people and the pandemic proved tough to navigate.
“In the beginning, I couldn’t deal with it that well. I kind of went into a bit of a depression. And then I started going into a place where I was really writing and being active. And then, I guess it just forced me to have [alone] time.”
She went on to explain that, the silver lining of the whole situation, was her being able to spend time with “quality people” – her friends, her family – and that helped her “become normalised” in the present situation.
“My job is a lot of travel, connecting with people, making people happy, and that makes me happy, so it has been a struggle. I think I even posted on my Instagram, where I was crying, explaining to all the people who are following me how much I missed them.”
However, the 28-year-old managed to bounce back. She shared,
“Slowly, towards the end, I found things I’m doing are coming out, and that was extremely exciting for me. I’ve worked on personal things like a beauty line that has a goal of reaching $100 million in 10 years for mental health And recently, I’ve been able to go to the studio. So I would say right now, I’m fully coming out again and I just think I had to handle it the way I needed to handle it, and got through it with the right people and doing the right things and doing the right steps to not make me go crazy.”
For years, Gomez has talked about both health and mental health with the platform that she has. In 2013, the ‘Rare’ talent had been diagnosed with lupus and as a result, had to undergo chemotherapy and rehabilitation. Following that, she battled anxiety and depression as well as had to have surgery after her condition caused severe damage to her kidney. What’s more, in a sit down with Miley Cyrus earlier this year, Gomez revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
During her 20-minute long segment for Cyrus’s “Bright Minded” series, Gomez shared that in a recent trip to “one of the best mental hospitals in America, McLean Hospital” where she “discussed that after years of going through a lot of different things”, she came to the realization that she was bipolar”. Selena went on to say her Texas upbringing stopped her from talking about mental health. But, when she decided she was going to go public about the decision, she took it upon herself to “know everything about it and it took the fear away”. Gomez said
“And so when I got to know more information, it actually helps me. It doesn’t scare me once I know it.”
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mental illness that brings severe high and low moods. This can also cause changes in sleep, energy, thinking, and behaviour. Selena has always been vocal about mental health, after years of struggling with her own.
With the release of ‘Rare’, her latest, most intimate album, Gomez gained both confidence and empowerment. Having worked on it with complete creative control, Gomez wanted to craft songs that lyrically touch on “transformation, vulnerability and heartbreak.” And it’s a good thing she listened to her intuition, too. ‘Rare’ ended up debuting at the very top of the Billboard 200 chart while “Lose You to Love Me” became her first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“I wanted people to take away that this was a journey and that it was completely closed. I don’t want people to see me as just sad and hurt. That part of me is over.”
If you are anyone you know is struggling with mental health issues, please reach out to the BEFRIENDERS hotline (03-7956 8145) or to the Malaysian Mental Health Association (03-2780 6803) for free, confidential referrals and information.