Back in September of last year, Selena Gomez announced that she would be taking a hiatus from social media for an undisclosed amount of time.
"Update: taking a social media break. Again," she said in an Instagram post four months ago. "As much as I am grateful for the voice that social media gives each of us, I am equally grateful to be able to step back and live my life present to the moment I have been given. Kindness and encouragement only for a bit! Just remember - negative comments can hurt anybody’s feelings. Obvi."
Since then, she's experienced a number of health problems, but had remained silent throughout, leaving many of her fanbase wondering whether she would ever return to social media.
Yesterday, though, she finally returned to Instagram, bringing with her a heartfelt and positive message for her followers.
"It’s been awhile since you have heard from me, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy new year and to thank you for your love and support," the Back to You singer wrote.
"Last year was definitely a year of self-reflection, challenges and growth. It’s always those challenges which show you who you are and what you are capable of overcoming. Trust me, it’s not easy, but I am proud of the person I am becoming and look forward to the year ahead. Love you all."
Though she wasn't explicit about what "challenges" she had faced, it was reported back in October that Gomez had experienced "an emotional breakdown" following treatment for an ongoing kidney condition.
According to TMZ, the 26-year-old was first admitted to hospital in September, at which point she was reportedly "despondent and emotional over an alarmingly low white blood cell count in the wake of her kidney transplant." She only spent a few days there, but was "re-admitted ... because her low blood cell count persisted, and it threw [her] into a downward emotional spiral."
After that, she was told she could not leave, and experienced an "emotional breakdown" when she was prevented from doing so.
Subsequently, Gomez was admitted to a psychiatric facility on the East Coast, where she received Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) - a treatment used for various mental health conditions. It was rumoured that Justin Bieber's engagement to Hailey Baldwin was a trigger for her breakdown, but Gomez herself did not confirm this.
By December, however, the former Disney star was spotted out with her friends, and was assumed to be making good progress in her recovery.
Gomez has spoken out before about her unhealthy relationship with Instagram, and how she has tried to distance herself from the platform since becoming the most followed person in the world.
"It had become so consuming to me," she said. "It's what I woke up to and went to sleep to. I was an addict, and it felt like I was seeing things I didn't want to see, like it was putting things in my head that I didn't want to care about. I always end up feeling like s**t when I look at Instagram. Which is why I'm kind of under the radar, ghosting it a bit."
So, while it's good to have her back, we hope that she does not fall into that bad place again.
