‘I am grateful to be alive’: Selena Gomez lays bare her mental health struggles in documentary trailer

Selena Gomez has never shied away from accepting and discussing her struggle with mental health on public platforms in a bid to create more awareness about the usually-stigmatised issue. Once again, the singer got candid, this time in the trailer of her upcoming documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me. “Just be who you are, Selena,” she started out saying in the trailer, which was released on Monday in honour of World Mental Health Day. “No one cares about what you are doing. It’s about who I am. Being okay with where I am. I am grateful to be alive.”
The documentary, which will be out on November 4, follows the 30-year-old over six years of her life, uncovering her mental and physical struggles as she battles lupus, anxiety, and depression.

“Let me make a promise. I am going to stop living like this. How do I learn to breathe my own breath again?” she continued, as the two-and-a-half minute clip showed Selena during different stages of her life — childhood, onstage performances, to even her vulnerable side where she can be seen crying in a hospital while talking candidly to her close friends.
Opening up about her vision, the Only Murders in the Building actor added, “Like my whole life, since I was a kid, I’ve been working. And I don’t wanna be like, super famous. But I do know that if I’m here, I have to use that for good.”

When asked about what’s holding her back from doing it, she replied, “That I am not good enough,” revealing that this feeling has been afflicting her since childhood.

But, what keeps Selena happy is “connection”, she admitted. “Clearly, I am still here to use whatever I have to help someone else.”
Calling this the “beginning”, she concluded, “Everything that I have gone through, it’s gonna be there. I am just making it my friend now. I am happier and I am in control of my emotions and thoughts more than I have ever been.”
Emphasising the importance of taking care of one’s mental health, Shamantha K, Counselling Psycholog, Fortis Hospitals, Cunningham Road, Bangalore said that it is essential to lead a holic and happy life that encompasses one’s biopsychosocial well-being. “There are a lot of stigmas attached to mental health which is why it is so important to maintain it well and overcome barriers. It can affect any area of our lives. One’s mental health also determines how well one transacts with society. Building a solid foundation for your mental health and being cognisant of it taking care actively, across all age groups, is needed.”
Selena’s journey is also an inspiration for others to seek help when necessary. “Seek professional help when one is unable to cope with stressors of trauma, grief, calamity, long-term illnesses, unemployment, toxic home or work environment to name a few. Regular therapy, exercise, meditation, effective communication and mindfulness practices can help cope with poor mental health,” Dr Shamantha added.

📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!