Selena Gomez accepts the award for favorite female pop/rock artist at the 2016 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 20, 2016. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
This week Selena Gomez released her first new song since 2015, called "It Ain't Me." The highly anticipated collaboration with Norwegian DJ Kygo narrates a love story destroyed by alcohol.
During her hiatus from music, the 24-year-old star has been busy working as the executive producer of the series 13 Reasons Why (coming to Nettlix March 31), about a teenager who committed suicide and left behind 13 tapes that explain why she chose to end her life. At a recent press conference, Gomez said the project hit close to home. "I definitely relate to everything that was going on [in the show]," she said. "I was there for the last episode, and I was a mess just seeing it all come to life, because I've experienced just that."
Gomez has been open about her own mental health struggles since she revealed she suffers from lupus in 2015. Anxiety, depression, and panic attacks are all side effects of the serious autoimmune disease, as Gomez explained last August when she announced she was taking some time off for her "health and happiness."
Below are seven more times Gomez has used her fame to call attention to mental health, and let her fans know they are not alone.
On the therapeutic effects of exercise
"If I don’t work out, I feel heavy. Everything about me just feels a little bit down. And sometimes I will just run on the treadmill and get emotional because it sort of relieves everything that you’re feeling." —September 2015, Yahoo! Beauty
On tuning out judgment
"I just don't care about the noise anymore. It drives me crazy. It made me depressed, it made me not want to get out of my house and it made me not want to talk to people and trust people. That's not how I want to live my life." —September 2015, Time
On her decision to take some time off
"I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. ... I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone, by sharing this I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues." —August, 2016, People
On the importance of getting help
"I had to stop, 'cause I had everything, and I was absolutely broken inside. And I kept it all together enough to where I would never let you down. But I kept it too much together to where I let myself down.... If you are broken, you don't have to stay broken." —November 2016, American Music Awards
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On the pressure teens face
"What 13 reasons why has represented was an authentic story of what every kid deals with in every day life. The pressure, the unrealistic expectations of what they believe they should be. ... People are hurting and deserve to be heard. Tired of others portraying a false idea of what every day life is. I hope @13reasonswhy can enlighten people to what words mean when you say them." —February 2017, Instagram
On supporting one another
"People everyday feel so many emotions they wish they could turn it off. But that's not why we are here. We are here for relationships, for people just like us who feel worthless. Your purpose is to share, help, encourage. Remember that. Please. Before you think of taking your life, think of all the [lives] you could save." —February 2015, Instagram
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On the value of self-care
"My year has been the hardest most rewarding one yet. I've finally fought the fight of not 'being enough.' I have only wanted to reflect the love you guys have given me for years and show how important it is to take care of YOU." —November 2016, Instagram
This article originally appeared on Health.com.
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