“One step at a time, until you finally reach that light of hope.”

It is only when there is darkness that we get to appreciate the light—this is what Flownie Cormero had seasoned when her ‘good daughter’ character is put to its extent.

Certainly, Ms. Cormero has most likely mastered the art of being the best daughter. Be that as it may, to what confine is she playing the part?

Growing up with her extended family and having close relationships with her parents, grandparents, and siblings, her family metamorphose to be the ‘all’ to her, as if she could give up all the rest to keep them.

It’s absorbing to see how family, as our central environment, plays a critical role in shaping our cognitive, emotional, intellectual, and social development. We form our fundamental behavior, beliefs, and values with respect to our parents, as our first teachers. What’s more absorbing is how Ms. Cormero has managed to be a henchman; she is everything her family wanted her to be.

Ms. Cormero always had an interest in the realms of Psychology, yet it was put to test when her parents decided something else for her. As she had known that her parents were already unsatisfied with the marriage and had hints of going their separate ways. Needless to say, she find herself in an agonizing situation, she was having mental health crisis. Yet her central family is the type where “talking about mental health is not welcome”, she pointed, as having mental health issue is deemed as something to be “overly dramatic” about. Finding, mental health a taboo, Ms. Cormero, had to keep things from her family.
Even so, she thought of putting her family first, and as she had known her potency of making the family happy— by satisfying them, Ms. Flownie, in a split second, tried to stray from her interest and gave in to the praying of her parents for her to pursue education at LNU. For a moment, it was all quiet and working, until, finally still, her parents decided to rip apart the family in 2019 after 20 years of thriving marriage.

All at once, it was dark around her. Unable to move at the expense of darkness, she felt the world stop. She felt lost of who she is supposed to be. And for a moment, unforeseen and fortuitously, she finds who she truly is. And upon realizing, how could she lose herself if it was not her all along? And all more meaning to move heavens and earth to course Psychology, as she found the comfort of the dimension where her true self exists, is valid, and is salient.

Now, an SSU Bachelor of Science in Psychology student, and mental health advocate, Ms. Cormero took inspiration to raze to the ground the varying perception of mental health based on culture, beliefs, and tradition. In the actualization of finding herself in the tiring cycle of suppression and conformation, she wanted to be heard, and for others to be as well. Learning to embrace her true self, Ms. Cormero is eager to teach others the same. Finally, dreaming to be a Psychologist, Ms. Cormero commits herself to normalize mental health in the Philippine context.

As much as we try to tear down the underlying stereotype by destigmatizing mental health, Ms. Cormero encourages everyone struggling with their mental health to keep going, as she puts it “One step at a time, until you finally reach that light of hope”. After all, who would have thought that Ms. Cormero’s biggest breakdown would be, at the same time, her biggest mental break free?

Elaine Hernandez | Feature Writer
Chuck Cabarliza | Layout Artist