Selena Gomez has opened up about how a mental health diagnosis changed her life in a new interview with “Good Morning America.”
The singer, who shared in April 2020 that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, told “GMA” on Monday that it was “really freeing to have the information.”
“It made me really happy because I started to have a relationship with myself, and I think that’s the best part,” Gomez said, adding that she’s “the happiest I’ve ever been.”
The “Only Murders in the Building” star first publicly disclosed her diagnosis during an appearance on Miley Cyrus’ Instagram Live talk show, “Bright Minded,” at the beginning of the pandemic.
“After years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar and so when I go to know more information, it actually helps me,” the actor told Cyrus at the time. “It doesn’t scare me once I know it. I think people get scared of that, right?”
In the same chat, Gomez said wanting to seek professional medical help reminded her of how her mother helped her get over a big fear when she was younger.
“When I finally said what I was gonna say, I wanted to know everything about it and it took the fear away,” Gomez said. “When I was younger, I was scared of thunderstorms, and my mom bought me all these different books on thunderstorms, [saying], ‘The more that you educate yourself on this, the more that you’re not gonna be afraid.’ And it completely worked.”
And while learning more about her diagnosis has helped improve the singer’s emotional well-being, one major lifestyle change has also made a difference: staying offline.
“I haven’t been on the internet in 4 1/2 years,” Gomez said 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.”