Selena Gomez used to have a “really dangerous” relationship with social media.
Selena Gomez at the Dolittle premiere in 2020
The 29-year-old singer and actress previously took a break from Instagram for the sake of her mental health and has now said she developed a negative relationship with the photo-sharing app because it impacted her self-esteem.
She said: “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.
“The older I got, the more I evolved and realized 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.”
The ‘Lose You to Love Me’ hitmaker no longer has access to the passwords for her social media accounts, and instead lets her team post updates on her behalf.
And Selena thinks that’s “the best decision” she’s “ever made”.
She added: “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.”
The ‘Only Murders in the Building’ actress also tackled her mental health by attending regular therapy sessions, and said she now feels “so confident” when she’s “taking care” of herself.
She told InStyle magazine: “I’m a big believer in therapy, and I always feel so confident when I’m taking care of myself. If I’m not in the best headspace and my friends invite me out, I won’t go. I’ve lost my sense of FOMO, which I’m proud of.
“Sometimes I push myself too much, and it catches up to me. But I try to balance out everything as best as I can. I like to be there for my friends and celebrate everyone. But I have to make sure that I’m OK, you know? Because if I’m not OK, I can’t be OK for other people.”
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