The one thing that we are looking forward to this week in the premiere of My Mind & Me, the documentary on the last six years of Selena Gomez‘s life. This writer also has bipolar disorder and for me, it has been riddled with shame. But Selena’s openness about her disorder and her struggles has been so impactful on me.
It’s because of her, in part, that I am able to be more open about my mental illness. And for that I will be forever thankful.
Selena‘s Mom, Mandy Teefey, opened up about the documentary and her decision, along with her daughters, to not watch it.
Before we even dive into their reasons why, it is definitely a decision that we’re behind. From what we have seen, we can tell that it will be emotional. Knowing the highs and low that they went through, if I was them, I wouldn’t want to watch it.
“It’s something that I feel, ‘cause I did a little interview in it, and I didn’t really want to do a lot,” Mandy said to E! News. “It kind of just put me in a headspace that you just don’t want to revisit after you’ve grown through so much.”
Does it mean that Mandy will never watch it? No. She continued, “So, when the time comes, and I feel like I’m ready to watch it, I’ll watch it. But what I’ve seen of it, it’s beautiful.”
“I was able, as a parent, to be able to be supportive and alongside my husband and all of our friends,” she told the outlet. “So, being educated on that and being able to be a support system—they have to really go through it and understand it themselves. As much as you want to understand it for them.”
We’re definitely going to be watching. Selena and her journey; her openness about it, have affected and saved lives. Mine included.
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me will be available for streaming November 4th.