Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities.
She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges.
In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines.
Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.
Something inspirational: “Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.” DORIS LESSING Thinking for yourself means more than having your own opinions. It means owning your words, your choices, and ...
Something inspirational: "We are not what happened to us. We are what we choose to become.” JAMES HOLLIS "I am drawn to James Hollis's words: 'We are not what happened to us. We are what we choose ...
Something inspirational: "Healing begins when we can hold our own experience with compassion." TARA BRACH Brach's quote reminds us that healing begins when we meet our pain with kindness instead of judgement ...
I have always thought of victory as an all or nothing proposition. Trying your best doesn't mean the same as winning in the world I grew up in. Therefore I was more used to failing which was often easier to deal with than trying to do my best and still not winning.
I didn't grow up in this politically correct world, where everyone gets a medal just for participating. My parents wouldn't have noticed if I became a rocket scientist and sent one to Mars! They were the two most important people in my life who should have been more supportive.
Right at this point I can only do so much in the time I have left. It would have been nice to not have been invisible as a kid, but that wasn't meant to be.
Thanks Randy. I personally tend to believe that the taking part is the most important, not the victory. I agree with this quote. Unfortunately, too many people put emphasis on winning, I tend to work the other way.
If it takes someone courage to go out, courage to talk and communicate with others that's more of a victory for me. It's giving of our best and doing better than we thought we ever could. That is a victory.
There is definitely a different way we need to look at this. Perhaps there's too much emphasis on victory and winning and not enough on taking part.
I remember in Sports Day in school being told that participation was just important as the winning. In my mind we're all winners, but there can only be one victor.
We could fail an interview or an audition. It certainly doesn't mean we've failed; it just means our face doesn't fit for that particular role. There will always be others.
I do think the wrong emphasis is put out there. That's why there are so many demoralised people in the world, who lack self-esteem and confidence.
Thanks Tim. We will always take back some form of control when we face our problems. The key is to continue to deal with and face our problems.
We can never become complacent or think that once we've dealt with our issues we're okay, or cured. From my own experiences it's an on-going continual process; one that mustn't stop, but one that does get easier in time.
As you say facing our problems and breathing, meeting those head on very much makes us all winners. Absolutely.
I have always thought of victory as an all or nothing proposition. Trying your best doesn't mean the same as winning in the world I grew up in. Therefore I was more used to failing which was often easier to deal with than trying to do my best and still not winning.
I didn't grow up in this politically correct world, where everyone gets a medal just for participating. My parents wouldn't have noticed if I became a rocket scientist and sent one to Mars! They were the two most important people in my life who should have been more supportive.
Right at this point I can only do so much in the time I have left. It would have been nice to not have been invisible as a kid, but that wasn't meant to be.
Thanks Randy. I personally tend to believe that the taking part is the most important, not the victory. I agree with this quote. Unfortunately, too many people put emphasis on winning, I tend to work the other way.
If it takes someone courage to go out, courage to talk and communicate with others that's more of a victory for me. It's giving of our best and doing better than we thought we ever could. That is a victory.
I agree with Randy. Winning is when you get the outcome you desire, so to me taking part isn't always a win.
There is definitely a different way we need to look at this. Perhaps there's too much emphasis on victory and winning and not enough on taking part.
I remember in Sports Day in school being told that participation was just important as the winning. In my mind we're all winners, but there can only be one victor.
We could fail an interview or an audition. It certainly doesn't mean we've failed; it just means our face doesn't fit for that particular role. There will always be others.
I do think the wrong emphasis is put out there. That's why there are so many demoralised people in the world, who lack self-esteem and confidence.
When we face our problems and breathe, like everyone on this site has, we're winners; I've amassed enough experience to understand that.
Thanks Tim. We will always take back some form of control when we face our problems. The key is to continue to deal with and face our problems.
We can never become complacent or think that once we've dealt with our issues we're okay, or cured. From my own experiences it's an on-going continual process; one that mustn't stop, but one that does get easier in time.
As you say facing our problems and breathing, meeting those head on very much makes us all winners. Absolutely.