Gomez has revealed her struggles with bipolar disorder and lupus in the past.
Vulnerability often feels like an unsettling sense of weakness that many people find terrifying. Researcher Brené Brown describes vulnerability as "uncertainty, risk, loosening control, and emotional exposure." On the October 11 episode of The Graham Norton Show, comedian and actor Miranda Hart shared how Selena Gomez's documentary My Mind and Me inspired her to embrace her chronic illness and stay committed to her writing. Gomez, who was also on the show, became emotional and teared up.
“It makes me quite emotional because when I saw your documentary on Apple about your illness struggles, I was thinking do I share, is this something I should do,” Hart said in the episode, adding that the act made her feel vulnerable. “It’s not something I’ve done before and I watched your documentary and I just thought absolutely yes, and that’s what kept me writing.”
In her recently-released book, “I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You,” Hart shared that she began suffering from conditions like bronchitis, tonsillitis, pericarditis, gastroenteritis, and labyrinthitis during her late teens. In 2020, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease. “I wasn’t in arenas as a pop star, but I was backstage at the BBC trying to go on [and] not knowing whether to go on,” Hart said on the talk show. Hearing how much her documentary impacted Hart moved Gomez to tears. She also reached out to embrace Hart’s hand, subtly lowered her head, and whispered a “thank you.”
“It's the best therapy to find out that your perhaps most vulnerable moment was received, and more importantly, understood by someone that needed to hear it, as much as you needed to say it. Sometimes all you need is to know that you're not alone,” commented @wardharrington-et1gf in response to the video. Others found it touching, inspiring, and even healing.
Gomez was diagnosed with Lupus in 2013, as she revealed to Billboard in 2015. "I’ve been through chemotherapy," she added. In April 2020, while speaking to Miley Cyrus on the Cyrus’ “Bright Minded” show, Gomez revealed that she was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She said in another interview that her team members pressed her not to share these vulnerabilities with the public. But she felt that it was important to reveal the diagnosis. “I’ve been pulled in many different directions to not or to be able to say it. But once I did, there was no taking it back. I was very proud,” she said. “It allowed me to learn more about myself.”
In the documentary, she showed what life was like for her while she battled with lupus, bipolar disorder, and childhood stardom. She almost didn’t release the documentary, she told Rolling Stone. “I’m just so nervous,” she said. “Because I have the platform I have, it’s kind of like I’m sacrificing myself a little bit for a greater purpose. I don’t want that to sound dramatic, but I almost wasn’t going to put this out. God’s honest truth, a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure I could do it.” The honest conversation between Gomez and Hart only re-affirms that hiding your vulnerability doesn’t make you strong.
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