Today we’d like to introduce you to Shereese J.
Hi Shereese, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
In 2019 I was dealing with depression and anxiety and had a hard time coping with my life at that time. I was not happy overall and had no idea what I needed to do to change its trajectory.
I was in a long-term relationship raising my daughter as well as helping to raise my ex-partner’s son. Our relationship was okay to onlookers, but it was far from the scope of view. Neither one of us knew what love was, and our traumas reflected that. Through infidelity on both our parts, I decided to walk away from our 14-year relationship and begin my healing journey and pursuit of happiness.
I began therapy, practiced spiritual modalities, and worked on my physical health that year. All was going in the right direction, and I was feeling so much better. My anxiety and depression were minimal, and I had lost 15 pounds. However, due to finances, I continued to live with my ex-partner for a while. It was awkward considering, but I knew in time I would be able to physically part ways so both of us could fully move on.
All was going well until January 2021 when my mom went into the hospital unexpectedly, and a week later on January 18th, she passed away from stage 4 ovarian cancer. This was definitely a hit to my emotional state, but it did not stop me from continuing forward. To be honest it was the push I needed to take what I had and move on.
My mother’s last day on this earth spoke to me through her eyes. It told me that life is not guaranteed and that I need to live it the best way written by me.
After my daughter graduated high school in June of 2021, I took a chance and left the only place I’ve ever known; Philadelphia, and decided to go with her to the sunshine state of Florida where she was to begin college in the fall.
This was the beginning of an epic journey that astronomically changed my life.
Florida bound and no turning back, my daughter and I arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida, with no grounded plan. We ran into hiccup after hiccup, and it snowballed downhill from there. She was delayed with starting school at Eckerd College due to mandatory covid testing that was hard to obtain at that time, and the housing market skyrocketed in a matter of weeks leading us to not find an available and reasonably priced residence. This in turn quickly exhausted my reserved funds due to the hotel and Air BnB stays. I was left with zero dollars and a forced decision I would not have imagined.
In a matter of weeks, I found myself homeless and penniless! The heartache and detriment of a trip that was to be such a beautiful transition turned into a nightmare!
For two weeks, my daughter and I slept in my SUV until it was time for her to start her freshman year at Eckerd. It was tough, and the heat of Florida was not kind. I cursed the stars, the heavens, and Florida for an extended period of time until I just sank into depression. My hope and belief were shattered.
After helping my daughter settle into her dorm in August of 2021, I left feeling like a failure, a bad parent, and completely defeated. I cried relentlessly that night. My daughter was officially on her own journey, and I was hit with the mommy empty nest syndrome. On top of it all, I was without a home, a job, money, and my dignity. Depression surged, and I had no clue what to do.
For 10 months I was a road warrior and boy did the wave of quiet settle in. The quiet as I like to refer to it is that period when one is forced to sit with their thoughts and relive past pains that we otherwise thought were over and done. If I thought I was healing before I left Philly, I was sadly mistaken. Those 10 months were an on-and-off downpour, and I was the individual struck by its emotional bolts more than once.
That period taught me that one has to feel any pain in order for it to clear. Harboring any emotion leads to so much, and it is not healthy nor is it a picnic to work through at such a level.
In March of 2022, I found a sweet part-time gig working at a tea house where I met some wonderful people and learned a lot. The pay wasn’t much, but it was a pleasant environment that resonated and enhanced my well-being.
In June of 2022, a really close friend helps me get an apartment, and shortly after I found a full-time job as an Assistant Property Manager where I lived. I spent 3 months filled with more anxiety doing the work of 3 plus people and it reflected in my work and my health. This ultimately put me right back at square one. On top of this, my daughter was not able to return back to school after summer break due to being $8,000 short.
It was another surge of unfortunate events. I lost the apartment shortly after being terminated from the property position, and currently, I am back living in my car alongside my daughter.
While this was definitely another blow, I am more equipped and wiser for the ware to handle it. My surroundings may not be ideal, but I have a better understanding of what I want to accomplish.
With this and transmuting what I have been through into teaching, I have started a page, House of AASH (Ability to Ascend, Stabilize, and Heal), which hones in on internalized emotions.
My ultimate goal with House of AASH is to create an organization that not only aims to support mental health but initiates openness and the importance of emotional well-being.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I quickly learned survival skills I never thought I would need, humbled myself to ask for help when needed, and swam through 40-plus years of deep-rooted emotional trauma. Every day is a moment-by-moment game of Jumanji. I don’t know what each day will bring because I am not living the average lifestyle. I have to find ways for us to bathe, eat, keep gas in the car, find safe sleeping areas, and balance mental and physical health. All this while trying to obtain my purpose as a creative, real-world teacher and mental health advocate.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
As an ongoing project, I have been putting out written and video content mainly focusing on mental health and emotional wellness while also blogging about my journey and discovering life after 40. My specialty is being openly honest and displaying a rawness about life that most do not discuss.
My goal is to teach vulnerability through vulnerability by sharing real-world struggles, engagements, and learning. I want to show that being vulnerable does not have to be so taboo and to understand that we are human with human emotions that are very healthy to express.
I am most proud of taking a stance and a chance to build and write the life I want no matter the naysayers. I am most proud of finding me, the Shereese that was hidden behind the pain, cloaks, and other people’s opinions. So, what sets me apart? Being me and having the nerve to do so!
We’d love to hear about what you think about risk-taking.
Risk-taking, I believe, aids in growth and strengthens courage. Taking risks are steppingstones towards more, and that more can look like so many things. For me, my more revolves around healthy stability, creative growth, and emotional awareness. As someone once told me, we have to “become comfortable with being uncomfortable,” and while taking risks can be uncomfortable, it can lead to a more fulfilling life.
My major risk was when I drove 1000-plus miles out of my comfort zone and into the unknown in pursuit of the life I want.
Pricing:
- One-on-One Emotional Support and Insight- $55
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087364295075
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxj2Xfse6-rTRj1R4waWEDA
- Other: https://medium.com/@aunicornword
