Selena Gomez Is Teaching Her Fans A Necessary Lesson About Self-Care

Last year, Selena Gomez made headlines when she entered a treatment facility for 90 days for exhaustion. But now, it sounds like she's doing much better, and in a new interview, she opened up about what a difference the time off made in her life. While talking to InStyle, Gomez encouraged her fans to prioritize self-care, and so far, she's setting an awesome example by doing the same thing herself.

In the interview, Gomez talked about her time in treatment, and how it helped her reexamine what's important in her life. The "Bad Liar" singer said she spent her time at the facility taking part in equine therapy and learning how to take care of herself. And as soon as her stay was over, she wanted to make sure her fans knew that there's no shame in stepping back from your life if that's something they need to do.

She said:

"I was in the countryside and never did my hair; I took part in equine therapy, which is so beautiful. And it was hard, obviously. But I knew what my heart was saying, and I thought, 'OK, I think this has helped me become stronger for other people.' When I came out, I was asked to go to the American Music Awards, and everyone around me was like, 'Do whatever makes you comfortable.' I didn’t want my fans to have a negative view of taking care of yourself, so I just went in head-on, and I’ll tell you, the first time stepping on that carpet was so overwhelming. I felt like my back was sweating."

Looking at the photos from that night, where she totally killed it in a bright red dress, it's hard to tell that she was nervous. But in her acceptance speech after she won Favorite Female Artist in the pop/rock category, she got emotional, saying that she'd let herself down by trying to keep everything inside. She said:

"I think it’s safe to say that all of you know my life whether I like it or not. I had to stop because I had everything and I was absolutely broken inside. 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 do not have to stay broken."

And in an interview with Vogue from March, Gomez talked about her experience in treatment again, pointing out that everyone needs to feel like they're allowed to fall apart.

It seems that this idea has become so central to Gomez's mission. Opening up about her feelings seems to be something she is all about recently, and hearing that even she isn't immune to feeling insecure can be incredibly helpful to her fans who need to know they're not alone.

Even though showing up to a high-profile event like the AMAs so soon after rejoining the real world was stressful, it's amazing that she went so that her fans could see the positive side of taking care of themselves. And since then, it seems like Gomez is doing better than ever, proving more and more that great things can come from self-care.

Gomez told InStyle that going to the facility wasn't a permanent fix for her; she says she still goes to therapy and deals with those negative emotions that landed her in treatment in the first place. But now, she's learned the power of using her own voice, and it sounds like she'll continue advocating for the causes that are important to her from now on.

"I want to use my voice to be a part of things and to speak out, whether it's about health or happiness or charities," she said. "If I have this platform, why wouldn't I use it?"

Good for Gomez for standing up for what she believes in, and for setting such a positive example for the many fans who look up to her. It's wonderful to see that she's doing so much better, so it seems her future's only going to get brighter from here.