Selena Gomez opens up about her 90-day work hiatus last year

— -- A year ago, Selena Gomez canceled her Revival World Tour and took a three-month, self-imposed hiatus.

In a new interview for the September issue of InStyle magazine, the 25-year-old pop star opened up about how she spent those 90 days.

"It was the best thing that I ever could’ve done," she said. "I had no phone, nothing, and I was scared. But it was amazing and I learned a lot."

"I was in the countryside and never did my hair; I took part in equine therapy, which is so beautiful," she told the magazine. "It was hard, obviously. But I knew what my heart was saying, and I thought, 'OK, I think this has helped me become stronger for other people.'"

Gomez, who has lupus, announced before the hiatus that she was taking time to be "proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness."

"I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges," the singer told People in a statement at the time.

Returning to the spotlight wasn't easy but Gomez told InStyle she faced the challenge by being open.

"When I came out, I was asked to go to the American Music Awards, and everyone around me was like, 'Do whatever makes you comfortable,'" she said. "I didn't want my fans to have a negative view of taking care of yourself, so I just went in head-on, and I'll tell you, the first time stepping on that carpet was so overwhelming. I felt like my back was sweating."

She also admitted that she still has difficult days.

"I go to therapy," she said. "I believe in that and talking about where you are. But I’m in a really, really healthy place."