Selena Gomez Entered Rehab Because She Needed A Reality Check
Selena Gomez’s mom Mandy Teefey is opening up about the singer’s mental health. The “Heart Wants What It Wants” singer entered rehab in August 2016 amid her “Revival World Tour.” She stated that she entered a 90-day treatment center to handle the depression and anxiety she felt from her lupus. Now Selena is back and better than ever.
The 24-year-old pop star has been making mental health an ongoing topic. She’s been honest about her reasons to step away from the spotlight and cancel her tour. Now Gomez’s mom said her time off was important since she needed a reality check. She noticed that Gomez was living in a “bubble” and she needed to get away from it all.
The two ladies hit the red carpet for the new Netflix s how 13 Reasons Why premiere and Mandy Teefey revealed in an interview why it’s necessary for celebrities to take a break.
“I think it was actually [from] taking a break,” she said to Entertainment Tonight.
“You asked what it is [like] to feel like you’re in this world, we’re in a bubble. It’s not a real world. You don’t really realize until you go out of this bubble and you’re like, ‘Oh, OK.'”
Selena first entered rehab in 2014 when she was diagnosed with lupus. Then, last summer, Selena canceled her “Revival World Tour,” telling People that she needed time off to deal with “anxiety, panic attacks and depression” from her autoimmune disease. Unfortunately, for Selena, lupus is an ongoing battle and these mental health side effects present their own challenges.
Teefey, who had Gomez when she was just 16-years-old, has been supportive of her career and her therapy. She’s been cheering for her daughter’s comeback ever since she left rehab. She said that the reality of becoming a celebrity and being recognized comes with the territory. It took some time for the shock to set in for Gomez, who’s star was only getting bigger due to the success of her debut solo album, Revival.
The star opened up in her first-ever U.S. Vogue cover story about her mental health. Selena said that Dialectical Behavior Therapy and an Instagram detox is just what she needed. It’s made her a huge believer and advocate for therapy.
“DBT has completely changed my life,” she said.
“I wish more people would talk about therapy. We girls, we’re taught to be almost too resilient, to be strong and sexy and cool and laid-back, the girl who’s down. We also need to feel allowed to fall apart.”
She ditched her phone during her 90 days in rehab. She even cut down her contact list to two famous friends and 17 regular friends she knows. Gomez spends her days at home, in church, or on the road with her girlfriends. She hardly spends her time on Instagram these days. Gomez said that her personal assistant has total access to her account.
“As soon as I became the most followed person on Instagram, I sort of freaked out. It had become so consuming to me. It’s what I woke up to and went to sleep to. I was an addict, and it felt like I was seeing things I didn’t want to see, like it was putting things in my head that I didn’t want to care about. I always end up feeling like s**t when I look at Instagram. Which is why I’m kind of under the radar, ghosting a bit.”
She dreams of the day that she gives up social media altogether. Selena’s three-month break from social media gave her a reality check. But, according to the Times Of India, she still deals with the everyday struggles of depression.
“Trust me, it’s a daily struggle,” Gomez said.
“Balance is key. Patience. Being kind to yourself. Having grace. I think that’s important.”
She also relies on her friends and loved ones for support. For one, Selena has the strength of her mom and her little sister to keep her motivated on her ongoing anxiety and depression treatment. She’s also been seen spending a lot more time with new boyfriend, The Weeknd, around the world.
[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
