Selena Gomez has opened up about plenty of health issues during her 16 years in the spotlight, including her lupus diagnosis and life-saving kidney transplant. In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, she tackled another beast: mental illness.
In the interview, conducted by "13 Reasons Why" star Katherine Langford, Gomez opened up about her struggles with depression and anxiety.
"I've had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, and I've been very vocal about it, but it's not something I feel I'll ever overcome," Gomez told Langford. "There won't be a day when I'm like, 'Here I am in a pretty dress—I won!' I think it's a battle I'm gonna have to face for the rest of my life, and I'm OK with that because I know that I'm choosing myself over anything else."
This is not the first time that the former Disney star has spoken candidly about mental illness. Gomez even served as the executive producer of "13 Reasons Why" — a controversial Netflix series that follows the suicide of a teenager — because she's passionate about spearheading a conversation about mental health, especially for young people.
Gomez told Langford that, at 25 years old, she has finally learned to prioritize her health and well-being.
"I'm starting my year off with that thought. I want to make sure I'm healthy," Gomez said. "If that's good, everything else will fall into place."
The "Bad Liar" songstress even touched upon how low self-esteem has affected her musical career. Despite releasing two new singles and two wildly popular collaborations in 2017, the release date of her forthcoming album is unknown.
"My next album has been forever in the making. When people ask me why, I'm honest about it: It's because I haven't been ready. I mean, point-blank, I don't feel confident enough in where my music is yet," Gomez told Langford. "If that takes 10 years, then it takes 10 years. I don't care. Right now I just want to be super intentional with all of the things I'm doing."
It makes sense that the reigning social media queen is outspoken about her personal struggles: in the interview, Gomez told Langford that "secrets kill people" and that there's freedom in expressing herself unapologetically.
"On a personal level, having done this since I was seven, [I'm] probably the most comfortable I've ever felt," she said. "I'm not focused on the things that I used to be like, 'Do I look old enough? Do I look sexy enough? Do I look cool enough? Am I nice enough, graceful enough?' Those sorts of things would come into my mind, but now I feel a little more liberated."
