Serena Williams is a big proponent of setting boundaries when it comes to protecting her mental health.
The tennis legend spoke with Selena Gomez for the actress's mental health platform, Wondermind, about her thoughts on mental fitness. Per Entertainment Tonight, Williams says the practice to her means "really learning to shut down."
"I did this years ago, before even mental health was a topic among everyone's mind," she continued. "It was more just like, 'Alright, I'm shutting myself down today.' Just subconsciously, it was something I've always done."
Williams added, "It's so important to just put yourself first, especially mentally. I always have shutdown moments. I have serious boundaries and I don't let anyone cross those boundaries."
"I really don't do anything for me, I'm terrible at that," the Olympic gold medalist admitted. "I've said it time and time again – I'm working on it. But more or less, at least prioritizing what I need to do. And then when I'm turned off, I'm turned off."
Williams said prioritizing her mental health also benefits the people around her — namely her 4-year-old daughter, Olympia.
The sports star said physical health is also influenced by one's mental health. "It's about being able to kind of manage your emotions and feelings and everything else still be able to perform," Williams explained.
Last week, Selena revealed her mental fitness startup was granted $5 million in a series of funding that was led by Serena Ventures — the tennis pro's investment portfolio.
Wondermind's official Instagram shared a statement from its co-founders — Selena, Mandy Teefy and Daniella Pierson — that explained how they'll use the funds. "This funding will be used to accelerate the building of Wondermind’s mental fitness ecosystem across our daily online content, CPG products, and original storytelling for all platforms," it read.
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