Selena Gomez Shared That After Bipolar Diagnosis, She Hasn't Been On The Internet In Years...Maybe Kanye Should Take Note
Selena Gomez just shared that she hasn't been on the internet in 4 years, and we think that Kanye West might want to listen up here.
The Only Murders In The Building Star shared today on Good Morning America that after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she's been staying offline, and it's helped her tremendously.
"I am where I am mentally because I took the necessary steps in to kind of remove myself from that, because it's just not normal.
"I haven't been on the internet in 4 1/2 years...It has changed my life completely. I am happier, I am more present, I connect more with people. It makes me feel normal."
Of course, Gomez has one of the largest social media followings in the world, especially on Instagram, so it's normal for one to balk at a claim like this. However, apparently, she herself never touches the accounts. She has assistants and a social media team to do it for her - all she has to do is discuss or approve things she wants her account to post about and pose for pictures and videos.
Now, of course, the average person can't very well keep away from the internet these days - it's ubiquitous, and you need it for everything from finding a job to setting appointments to getting tickets to the movies, nevermind communicating with friends and family during a time when many of us are still distanced for one reason or another - but what Gomez is really trying to advocate for is being more careful about how you use it, and taking better care of your mental fitness in general.
(Yes, that was mental fitness instead of mental health, because Gomez and her two new co-partners are launching a media company to help people take control of their mental health, and to think of taking care of it more like taking care of your physical fitness - a routine that you maintain as much as you do going for runs or working out at the gym. It's called Wondermind, and you can hear more about it in the video above.)
That, perhaps, is a lesson that a certain recently-divorced rapper might need to hear right now - because, and we mean this with zero shade - Selena seems to be onto something about the root cause of a lot of unhappiness for people with bipolar disorder.
Read also: mania or hypomania
"When someone with bipolar disorder is in an "up" or manic phase, they may feel like they are substantially smarter, more capable, or more important than other people. They are prone to rash, risk-taking behaviors...Their thoughts often race and they may feel like they can do everything at once. At the same time, they will often forget to eat and will not feel the urge to sleep.
In a "down" or depressive phase, all of these symptoms reverse. They may sleep too much and struggle to stay awake while overeating and lacking the ability to feel pleasure. They may feel slow or sluggish as well as unimportant. They may also entertain suicidal ideations."
All of these things can be exascerbated by usage of the internet, espeicially social media. Poor judgement and impulsivity during manic episodes can lead a person to make posts rashly that they would have ordinarily taken more time to consider...like the ones Kanye West made about his daughter, or about Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson.
And, conversely, seeing all the opinions of the entire world, readily available by searchable keyword, at once, can't be good for one's mental health in a depressive episode, especially when your business is literally plastered all over the news (partially because of stuff you did online when you were manic.)
So maybe Kanye West should take a look at Wondermind and Selena's interview and really think about taking some of her well-meaning advice to heart. Having bipolar as well, she probably knows what he's going throught better than most. Even if he doesn't stay off social media entirely, it would almost certainly benefit him, and his family, if he could get some distance - and we would all love to see him feeling better.
