AceShowbiz - Christina Aguilera looks back at her time as a child star with a sense of unease, because she "wasn't happy with a lot of things."

The singer first rose to fame on Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club as a teen, joining the likes of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling on the children's variety show.

She went on to launch her pop career, but Christina admits behind the glitz and glamour, she was far from content - feelings she revisited during the COVID-19 pandemic as she read through her old journals.

"I have this massive trunk of old diaries that I've literally kept from the past 20 years of my life," she told Health magazine. "I was able to catch up on them and do some self-reflecting. It really forced me to be silent and take a look at myself."

"In some regard, I wasn't happy with a lot of things, and it's scary to face those feelings that, under normal circumstances, you don't have time to face because everyone is going, going, going."

"That grind is praised, but I think we're all understanding that having moments to self-reflect and just breathe are crucial."

Even though the "Genie in a Bottle" hitmaker is content staying at home with her family, the mother-of-two still struggles with feelings of guilt about taking it easy, something she recognises from growing up in a competitive environment as a child star.

She said, "When I'm not working, there's a heavy amount of guilt that I feel. It's been embedded in me since I was little - you're shamed if you don't want to keep up."

"As a child (entertainer), you're all pitted against one another, and other children are all about that grind too. It's a weird space to grow up in."

Even now, despite all she has achieved, the star has to work to overcome persistent feelings of anxiousness.

"It's a constant battle to overcome a mind that is anxious, a mind that is always second-guessing," she shared.