In a Sunday panel moderated by licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Jessica Stern, pop singer and Emmy-nominated actress Selena Gomez discussed the importance of prioritizing mental health in everyday life.
In 2021, Gomez and her mother Mandy Teefey founded Wondermind, a media company heralded as “the world’s first mental fitness ecosystem.” The company currently offers resources for promoting mental wellness such as tips, mindfulness worksheets, and original podcasts. Because this is South by Southwest, the panel acted as the launch of an upcoming Wondermind app.
The panel also included Wondermind CEO Teefey, licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Corey Yeager, and New York Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas. During the panel, Gomez reflected on her 2022 documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, which captured her struggles with lupus and bipolar disorder.
“The moment I did that, I felt this insane amount of release because there wasn’t any hiding anymore,” said Gomez of the film’s release. “There wasn’t just this image that people could see and think, ‘Oh, it looks nice.’ It was probably one of the hardest moments of my life.”
The 31-year-old said meeting women and single mothers following the release of her 2020 song “Lose You to Love Me” particularly pushed her towards honesty. The Grand Prairie, Tex., native also recalled watching the 1999 film Girl, Interrupted with her mom at around 12 years old.
“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s what that looks like,’” she said. “Confused by it, we ended up having one of the most honest conversations that we’ve ever had together. I really appreciated it, and it allowed me to not be scared.”
Her mom, Teefey, reflected on her poor mental state while working as a producer on the second season of the show 13 Reasons Why, which ultimately led her to seek treatment.
“I was crumbling,” said Teefey. “I spent all these years investing my energy and avoiding what my problems were by helping other people and giving myself away, and I ran out of fuel.”
Gomez said she also began her mental health journey at a particularly low point.
“You can’t force someone to do it. It doesn’t work,” said the star. “There’s a lot of people that cared about me more than I cared about myself, that really wanted me to do things I wasn’t ready for. I had to hit rock bottom.”
Emphasizing the importance of compassion when dealing with mental illness, athlete Thomas said the loss of his sister to suicide drove him to engage in helpful practices like going to therapy and speaking openly about his feelings.
“[It’s] just making sure people know these are normal things to talk about,” said Thomas. “The more we can make it a normal conversation, the more people can be vulnerable – we can open up these safe spaces that might save somebody’s life.”
Mindfulness Over Perfection: Getting Real on Mental Health
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This article appears in SXSW 2024 Festival Guide, Part II and March 8 • 2024.
