The 24-year-old told the magazine that the time off made her question herself and her identity.
She explained, "I feel most like myself when I'm working. I felt like, when I wasn't working, my powers had gone away, and I was like, 'Who the f*** [am I?]'"
The Euphoria actress continued, "I didn't really know who I was and what makes me happy. 'What do I like to do? What else do I do? What is my value? What is my purpose now?'"
For Zendaya, this was the first time that she had time to think about who she is, separate from her art.
The actress explained that this past year was really the first opportunity that she had to evaluate her relationship to her career, especially considering her usually busy schedule.
"It was the first time since I was 13 that I didn't go back to something. There was no structure," she explained.
And the time off and the questions it brought up were scary at first for the young actress.
"It was my first time just being like, 'OK, who am I without this?'" she explained. "Which is a very scary thing to confront and work through, because I don't really know Zendaya outside of the Zendaya who works."
"I didn't realize how much my job and my art were a part of my identity as a human," the actress continued.