Selena Gomez has always been upfront about limiting her social media usage, but is now beginning to shed light on why Instagram at one point was so difficult for her to use.
In an interview with InStyle published on Thursday, the singer-songwriter spoke of her issues with anxiety and depression, which led to her using the popular social media platform for sharing other peoples’ stories after she struggled with the negative effects it had on her own mental health.
“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,” she said. “I didn’t want to post anything on social media because I realised I was in a situation where I was extremely blessed. What could I possibly post or say? Then I had the idea of inviting multiple people to be on my Instagram to tell their stories.”
Before the singer began using her Instagram platform in a constructive way to elevate others and help their voices to be heard, she details that she had an unhealthy relationship with the app and other forms of social media. Gomez realised the toll it was taking on her mental health and stepped away from social media for a while as a result.
“At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. In my early 20s, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. there was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed makeup and never wanted to be seen without it,” she revealed. “The older I got, the more evolved and realised that I needed to take control of what I was feeling.
“I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and feel confident to be who I am. 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.
“I’ll have moments where that weird feeling will come back, but now I have a much better relationship with myself.”
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Selena Gomez is excited about her best Latin pop nomination at this year’s Grammy Awards for Revelación, which debuted at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart.
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards have been postponed due to an increase in COVID-19 cases as a result of the emerging Omicron variant.
