Selena Gomez opens up about anxiety and depression: 'I found it difficult for me to be me'

Selena Gomez has a ton to look forward to, but she has also learned that frequent reflection is the only way to pave a positive future.

For a new interview with InStyle, the actress and singer-songwriter described how she has experienced the last two years.

"I became aware that my little world is complicated, but the picture is much bigger than the stuff I deal with," said Gomez, who has long been publicly candid about her health struggles. "I have problems with depression and anxiety, and I found it difficult for me to be me. I didn't want to post anything on social media because I realized that I was in a situation where I was extremely blessed. What could I possibly post or say? Then I had the idea of inviting multiple people to be on my Instagram to tell their stories."

In October 2018, Gomez sought treatment for "ongoing emotional issues" after suffering a panic attack in the hospital, where she had been reportedly due to side effects from her 2017 kidney transplant. In order to protect her mental health, she deleted the Instagram app from her phone in 2019.

"At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous," the first-time Grammy nominee told InStyle. "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."

"Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I've ever made for my mental health," she continued. "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."

Gomez added that she's "a big believer in therapy" and has "lost my sense of FOMO" as she has gotten older—often choosing self-care over pushing herself to socialize when she's not feeling OK.

Overall, Gomez appears to be in a good place as she prepares to turn 30 in July.

"I love growing up," Gomez told People for this week's issue. "When I was younger, I was scared of it, and I thought by now my life would look so different. But now I'm like, 'Wow, this is not what I ever expected, and I couldn't be more thrilled.' I've stopped caring about what people have to say, and that's been wonderful."

Other than her 30th birthday, the two things certain to happen for Gomez in 2022 are the release of "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" on Jan. 14 and filming the second season of breakout Hulu series "Only Murders in the Building."