Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me Review

Reaching pop stardom beyond her wildest dreams, the pressure of perfection has been no stranger to Selena Gomez. With her first exciting appearance on Barney and Friends, to a big break on the Disney Channel circuit, it was only the beginning. 

Directed by Alek Keshishian, we get to see when the make-up comes off, the smiles go away, some of the lowest of lows, as Selena talks openly about her feelings of never being good enough. She can’t even grab a bite to eat without the paparazzi in her face, snapping photos and asking about her painful breakup with Canadian pop superstar, Justin Bieber. It is the price of what comes often with fame. 

Riddled with anxiety and depression for years, we can see Selena is hanging by a thread, but she pushes onward. After a complete and total breakdown and dealing with lupus - a complex autoimmune illness, looking further for answers, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder finally fits the puzzle pieces together. It's now time to take a step inward and let the healing begin.

Before you roll your eyes and think another young celeb who can’t appreciate what they have, Selena is genuinely hurting and I think this biopic does an excellent job at documenting six years of her personal journey.  Again, this may look totally different from what someone else experiences, but let's give some grace instead of criticism of what "mental illness" should look and feel like.

Despite the struggles, it is evident that Selena's heart is huge and although she is clearly in a position of influence, having a team of people around her and access to care that many do not have, philanthropy gives her purpose to keep going in this life and to help those who still don’t have a voice. 

By the end of the film, we just want to give her a big hug and let her know that she is in fact, more than enough.

💜My Mind & Me Trailer

Need help? Here are some resources you might want to check out:

💜National Institute of Mental Health

💜Canadian Mental Health

💜Lupus

COVID Long Hauler: Are we out of the woods?

Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods yet?

Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods?

Are we in the clear yet? Are we in the clear yet?

Are we in the clear yet?

“Out of the Woods” by Taylor Swift  resonates so much with me, mainly the chorus, especially right now.

I remember my first symptom: tingling thighs. Then came the onset of a burning, searing feeling every time I touched my skin. I knew that despite being vaccinated and boosted, plus wearing a mask everywhere, following all the other protocols, covid decided it was my time.  

After a considerate amount of time in bed and isolation, my symptoms improved to some degree, but I have never felt the same since. It’s incredibly difficult to explain all the waxing and waning symptoms that I have come to realize now are part of the “long-hauler” crew. 

My life has been re-visiting the medical circuit from panels of blood tests to EKG’s to make sure my little ticker is working the way it should.  

I’m exhausted. 

I know I am not alone, but I feel it often. The onset of depression hasn’t faded. Some days it gets pretty bad and I ask myself, what did I do wrong in this life to have this happen to me? My eyes fill with tears and I start to sob uncontrollably. I am told the answer though, I just have to get out of my emotional pain and accept the reality; It’s how life unfolds, no one is punishing me, I just exist.  The biopsychosocial model also has a lot of insight too.

I’ve been pretty quiet over on social media. I scroll through my feed maybe once a day, but I can’t really muster the desire to be more interactive.  Did anyone really want to read my social media posts about how I crave the day where I can maybe walk more than 5 minutes without my heart beating out of my chest or not having to sit in silence because certain sounds feel like it is penetrating through my skull? Doubtful.

After doing a lot of research, the link between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Covid Long Haulers seems to have a connection. I was diagnosed many years ago with CFS, but it feels like it is just an umbrella term for many other overlapping conditions that leave many patients like me, without clear answers. Where can I get help?

It’s pretty scary at times with all the different symptoms, sometimes happening for days, other times, just a few hours. There is no consistency which is the hardest and most frustrating part of it all.

While I’m out here baring my soul, I also have PTSD.  As much happiness as I have had, I’ve also had considerable bouts of traumatic events that led to my diagnosis.  Another debilitating illness that waxes and wanes, but up until now, I was managing relatively well. I'm struggling now with it.

I’ve also refrained from saying much about what I’ve been going through, as I know a lot of stigma comes out from being “unwell”, but keeping it all in is truly hurting more than helping.  

I am very thankful to have people in my life who may not exactly understand what I'm going through, but support me in whatever ways they can. 

We all have our stories, I felt it was time to share another chapter of mine, and if you read up to this point, thank you.

Gary Gulman – The Great Depresh

Depression is a complicated beast. It has the ability to change how you think, how you feel and how you act.  It slowly sucks away any bit of joy that comes into your life and leaves a cloud of despair and darkness. For many, it may be a fleeting episode, for others, it’s a condition that needs life-long monitoring.  Depression feels like a child-like proof medicine bottle that you want to throw across the room because it won’t budge no matter what you do. Add in the waves of anxiety, and it’s just a whole barrel of fun complete with an on-going shower of sweat and many reps of pacing back and forth. At least it’s some sort of exercise, right?  Ya, not exactly the cardio workout one would wish for.

Gary Gulman is an American Jewish Comic that has battled anxiety as well as crippling depression for years in silence but has recently opened up and found that laughter can be the very best medicine. In his comedy special: The Great Depresh, Gary talks candidly about the dark times in his life, telling stories of his bullied youth, sharing the a-z list of antidepressants that sound like a Dr. Seuss rhyme, experimenting with electro-convulsive therapy, and ultimately choosing symptoms like dry mouth over death.  Sade, his wife, has watched Gary through the highs and lowest of lows. She goes to appointments with him, and along side their fur-family, gives Gary the unconditional love and support that he needs.

I won’t spoil anymore. There is some self-deprecating humour that you can take or leave, and you can’t help but just love Gary’s mom, Barbara. Through a documentary-style with bits of stand-up performance, it’s still an emotional journey of laughter and tears that I think is important to embrace.

To you Gary, for all your hard work in dealing with something that seems sometimes bigger than you can even handle, and to let everyone know that we’re not alone for the ride, I raise a glass of Sprite and say l’chaim, to life!

Check out Gary's website and social media sites below, and let’s hope that the depresh can be kept in remish.

💜Official "The Great Depresh" Trailer

💜Website: http://www.garygulman.com

💜Facebook