Selena Gomez Opens up About How Staying Offline for 4.5 Years Has Made Her Happier
In addition to how she became free after her bipolar diagnosis.
Selena Gomez has always been an advocate for doing whatever feels good, which is what inspired her new mental health platform, WonderMind. In honor of its launch, she opened up about her own personal struggles and the changes she made to get to a better place, which include staying offline.
“I haven’t been on the internet in four and a half years,” she said during a new interview on Good Morning America. “It has changed my life completely. I am happier, I am more present, I connect more with people. It makes me feel normal.”
While Gomez has maintained an online presence throughout the years (she currently has 310 million Instagram followers and over 65 million Twitter followers), she’s previously revealed she texts her assistant her posts, which then get uploaded to her accounts.
She added, “Growing up in the spotlight has definitely taught me so much. I can’t believe I am where I am mentally just because of how I took the necessary steps in order to kind of remove myself from that because it’s just not normal. I really want people to be understood and seen and heard. It’s okay to not be okay.”
The singer-slash-actor was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which she publicly revealed on Miley Cyrus‘ Bright Minded Instagram Live in 2020. Since then, Gomez has felt empowered in her diagnosis. “It was really freeing [being diagnosed with bipolar disorder] to have the information,” she explained. “It made me really happy because I started to have a relationship with myself, and I think that’s the best part. Like, I’ve probably been the happiest I’ve ever been. My mom knows.”
The Only Murders in the Building star turns 30 this July, which she’s now looking forward to. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to step into this chapter alone, independently, strong, confidently,” Gomez said. “That’s all I really want you know? I’m excited [to turn 30].”
Watch Gomez’s interview on Good Morning America above.
