Gloria
Gloria
We can’t do it alone
I always felt like I needed to catch up—like I was racing to get somewhere or something.
One of seven siblings, Gloria felt like a “true New Yorker,” going to school and working in New York City while supporting her father’s fashion business. She yearned to go into the performing arts but knew that it was out of the question.
Despite this, she attended college, where she discovered the true joy of music and performance.
I often headed to the soundproof piano room, basking in the only quiet time I had.
Two years later, she was forced to drop out and help her family financially.
I did what everyone else was forced to do—get out and get a job. My father’s business was failing, and my whole family came back. We all worked together to help make it a success.
Gloria spent the next few years working multiple jobs to help her family and completing college in the evening.
She often felt like she “acted perfect” to land jobs, and even while she thrived in big companies and climbed up the ladder to higher-paying and specialized jobs, she was hiding her feelings and true self. She struggled, couldn’t concentrate, and spent time crying in the bathrooms at work.
She remembers the day when she was walking the streets of New York City—going from one psychiatrist’s office to another looking for a good fit—and she saw her reflection in the storefront windows. She didn’t recognize herself and knew that she needed to start looking for the answer because something was wrong.
I decided something was wrong with my brain. I didn’t look like it on the outside, but on the inside, I wanted to cry when others laughed and scream when everyone else was quiet.
“Get help, talk about what happened, put it on paper, and get someone you trust who can communicate with and validate you.”
One day, after a conflict at work, Gloria experienced intense suicidal ideation. The psychiatrist she had just started working with told her it was time to accept help.
A day later, Gloria found treatment, therapy, and others with the same issues, and didn’t feel alone. She started talking about her experiences of beginning to heal using holistic practices, medication, therapy, and coping strategies. She began to manage her diagnoses.
From that point on, Gloria’s recovery has not been linear, but she has continued to find resources for help when she needs them.
Furthermore, she’s gained strength from her experience and has used it to help others.
Now, Gloria is a certified peer recovery advocate and peer support specialist, a speaker for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a college graduate, and a fitness and wellness professional. She realizes she was destined to have a life where her strengths and attributes forge her success. She infuses life with humor, validation, and wellness in order to feel strong, both physically and mentally, and she likes sharing this with others.
Don’t be afraid to talk about yourself, no matter what you have. Being your best self is when you’re the most vulnerable. It can be done. Get help, talk about what happened, put it on paper, and get someone you trust who can communicate with and validate you.
Gloria still sings, dances, and teaches frequently, capturing the joy she discovered early in life.
I’m forging forward and I like the path I’m on. It’s rewarding and it’s good.
