Selena Gomez is taking time off to fight her battle with anxiety and depression

After travelling extensively for her Revival World Tour concerts, pop sensation Selena Gomez will take a much needed break to deal with depression and anxiety attacks — that are a side effect of the auto-immune disorder, Lupus, that she is currently battling. [caption id=“attachment_1856175” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Courtesy: Facebook[/caption] This has meant that two of her concerts, which where scheduled in Atlantic Canada have been cancelled. The 24-year-old pop star cancelled her upcoming appearances in Paradise, Newfoundland; and Moncton, New Brunswick. The organisers of AtlanticFest 2016, said that refund information for the two Atlantic Canadian stops would be available next week. Atlanticfest 2016 tweeted, “David Carver Music firstly extends our thoughts and well wishes to Ms. Gomez. David Carver Music and Atlantic Canadian music fans stand with her on the decision to put her health first,”

ANNOUNCEMENT pic.twitter.com/W0dK1Kr49z

— Atlantic Fest 2016 (@AtlanticFestCa) August 30, 2016

The ‘Same Old Love’ singer released a statement to People, saying, “As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways.  I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.” She further explained: “I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone and by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.” Lupus, as defined by the Lupus Foundation of America, is an autoimmune disease that “can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years.” The website also states that people with lupus commonly develop clinical depression because “It is well established that lupus can affect all organs of the body, including the brain, and when the brain is affected one of the main symptoms can be depression.” The singer had revealed her battle with lupus in a statement to Billboard in 2015. She talked about her disease, and how she was undergoing chemotherapy treatments that caused her to c ancel the end of her Stars Dance Tour in 2013. As rumors arose speculating drug use, she told Billboard, “I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re assholes,’ But I was angry I even felt the need to say that. It’s awful walking into a restaurant and having the whole room look at you, knowing what they’re saying. I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.” A source close to Gomez told People, “She decided to clear her calendar for the year in order to have this be her priority for future happiness and didn’t want to leave any promoters at bay,” says the source. “She feels relieved that she can now make more sense of why she was feeling the way she was and is optimistic about the future.”