Selena Gomez after difficult year: ‘I am a believer of therapy’

The past 12 months have been a journey for Selena Gomez, culminating in an October 2018 trip to a psychiatric facility for mental health treatment. Now, the singer is opening up about her decision to take some time out of the spotlight and continue therapy.

“Last year, I took a lot of time off,” Gomez, 26, said on Coach’s “Dream It Real” podcast on Wednesday, April 24. “I think that I needed a moment to myself because I do feel like I was growing and changing.”

When asked to share the advice she would give her younger self, the former Disney Channel star joked, “Gosh, if I knew what I know now.” But on a more serious note, she explained, “I am a believer of therapy. So, I think that I have had opportunities where I kind of reflect on the younger me, and I think that a lot of the times I wished that I could hug my younger self. I wish I could have done and experienced a lot of things, maybe, a little differently.”

Gomez acknowledged that she has “had great moments, bad moments” before sharing a misconception about her: “I don’t really think people know my heart because I think that sometimes people may think that I politically say the right thing or I’m safe or I’ve been trained to speak this way. I don’t know how to be trained. Like, how on earth would someone be training me to speak things?”

Elsewhere in the conversation, the “Back to You” singer delivered a powerful message to her dedicated fans. “You’re enough. You’re absolutely enough,” she said. “And if you deal with things that are really difficult — like family issues or anxiety, depression or substance issues — I just think that you’re never too far gone. I really believe that. I think every person is valuable and important.”

Gomez, who suffers from anxiety and depression, has sought treatment several times since announcing in 2015 that she was diagnosed with lupus. She most recently checked into a facility in October 2018 after experiencing “a series of panic attacks related to ongoing medical issues,” as a source told Us Weekly at the time. After completing her program, she wrote on Instagram in January, “I am proud of the person I am becoming.”

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