Singer and actress Selena Gomez said that she rediscovered the joy of creative work largely due to the fact that she gave up social networks.
In an interview with Elle magazine, 29-year-old Gomez talks in detail about new career achievements, as well as about the public attention she faced after a number of mental and physical health problems.
“My [systemic lupus erythematosus], kidney transplant, chemotherapy, mental illness… all this, to be honest, should have knocked me out of the rut. Every time I went through something, I thought: “What is it this time? What else will I have to deal with?”, — said the actress.
In 2014, Gomez found out that she had lupus, and four years later she was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder. Gomez admitted that she felt relieved after she learned the verdict of the doctors, but she was very upset that her health attracted attention in social networks and tabloids.
Four years ago, she was the most popular person on Instagram — and yet, being loved by millions of fans, she told. That I struggled with the negativity that often surfaced in the comments.
Although Gomez uses Instagram and Twitter to encourage self-acceptance and other goals, she often does it indirectly. In her interview, she said that since 2017, she has been providing images and quotes to her assistant, who posts them on social networks on her behalf.
According to her, the rejection of social networks allowed her to focus on projects and cases that affected her personally. One example is the HBO Max cooking series “Selena + Chef,” which reportedly helped raise $360,000 for 23 nonprofits over two seasons.
The lack of access to social networks also taught Gomez to be more attentive.
“I don’t have them in my phone, so there is no temptation. I suddenly had to learn to be with myself. It was annoying at first because I used to be able to look at other people’s lives for hours, “ she said.
