LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - Pop star Britney Spears says she is taking a little "me time" after she checked herself into a mental health facility to cope with her father's illness.

Spears, 37, announced in January that she was pulling out of all her concerts and work commitments to be with her family after her father Jamie came close to death in November after suffering a ruptured colon.

On Wednesday (April 3), she posted on Instagram: "We all need to take time for a little 'me time'."

She also posted a quote reading: "Fall in love with taking care of yourself, mind, body, spirit."

Celebrity website TMZ said Spears voluntarily checked herself into a residential mental health facility about a week ago.

A source close to the singer said her father was not doing well after a second surgery three weeks ago, and that the singer was finding his prolonged illness hard to deal with.

"They are very close. She just wants to take time to focus on herself," the source told Reuters.

Jamie Spears is credited with reviving the career of his teen sensation daughter after her life spiralled out of control in 2007-08.

He remains the court-approved conservator of her business affairs.

She became a pop phenomenon in 1999 with her debut single ...Baby One More Time and subsequent hits like Oops!...I Did It Again.

She made a comeback in late 2008 with the album and world tour Circus and has performed in Las Vegas since 2014.

In January, she withdrew from a new series of concerts in Las Vegas that were due to run from February to August.