Selena Gomez celebrates her 31st birthday with a message about mental health: 'This is my true passion in life'

Selena Gomez is in celebration mode.

The Only Murders in the Building star took to social media on Saturday to thank fans, friends, and followers for all the good wishes on her 31st birthday. Sporting a pink shirt, pearl necklace, and long, flowing brown hair, the actress and mental health advocate blew out the candles on her S-shaped chocolate cake, which was adorned with flowers on top.

While Gomez's Instagram post was in honor of her birthday, it also had a deeper context. In the caption of her post, the Disney Channel alum wrote about her role as the founder of Rare Beauty, a cosmetics company, and her mission as an entrepreneur to help others.

"I am thankful for so much in my life and one of the things I am most thankful for is the work we’ve been able to do with the Rare Impact Fund through @Rarebeauty," wrote Gomez. "Because of YOU we’ve been able to raise awareness and increase access to mental health services for young people. This is my true passion in life."

Gomez concluded her post by stating that instead of gifts, she would prefer people donate to the Rare Impact Fund, which provides mental health services and education to young people. Gomez started the organization alongside her cosmetics company, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez.

"People keep asking me what I want for my birthday, and I tell everyone the same thing. Please do not get me anything, but if you want to do something for my birthday, please donate to the Rare Impact Fund," Gomez included in the caption. "If you have the means, consider donating to help us make a difference."

Mental health advocacy

Gomez has gotten candid about her own mental health journey, particularly in the last year. In November of 2022, her documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, was released. In the film, she opened up about her years-long struggle with bipolar disorder, which included a "psychotic break" that caused her to hear voices.

Now happy and healthy, Gomez said she works hard to remind herself why she's alive.

“I just constantly remind myself that there’s a reason I’m here,” she told Rolling Stone in a 2022 interview. “It sounds really cheesy when I say it sometimes, but I truly don’t know how else I’d be here, simply based on the medical stuff and balances in my head and conversations I’d had with myself [that were] really dark.”

Gomez has also parlayed her own mental health journey into a career as an entrepreneur. After launching Rare Beauty in 2020, the company has skyrocketed to success, with Bloomberg reporting last week that just the blush category of the brand has accounted for $70 million in sales. 1% of all Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez sales are donated to the Rare Impact Fund.

Health issues

Gomez underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 as a result of her struggle with lupus. Back in March, she opened up about the journey on on episode of Dear..., an Apple TV+ series that profiles "game-changing icons." Gomez said she was inspired to help others after she received a kidney from her friend, How I Met Your Father actress Francia Raisa.

"I think that it had to happen the way that it did in order for me to get to where I am," Gomez explained on the Apple TV+ show. "I was meant to go through it to do something for others." Gomez also noted that the transplant was "one of those moments where I felt watched over. I know I was so, so, so lucky. I understand that that doesn't happen for a lot of people and I know the outcome of some of those situations and how serious they are, so I do not take it lightly that it's happened to me that way."

In front of the camera

While Gomez may be known for her entrepreneurial endeavors these days, she's also garnered significant acclaim for her work in front of the camera. Back in January, Gomez walked the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards, where she was up for a statue in the "Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy" category for Only Murders in the Building, in which she portrays the snarky Mabel Mora opposite Steve Martin and Martin Short.

"Oh my god," Gomez exclaimed in a TikTok she shared shortly after learning of her nod. "I'm so excited. I didn't think I was gonna get — actually, I know I wasn't gonna get nominated, or I thought. But I'm happy."