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.
Food for thought: "I never write to disappear and escape. The truth is exactly the opposite. Most people strike me as escaping and disappearing in one way or another - into their jobs, their daily routines, their delusions about ...
Something inspirational: “Anyone can learn to fight. Hardly anyone learns to think.” TAMSYN MUIR, Gideon the Ninth Muir's quote reminds us that fighting is not just about physical strength; it can mean arguing, resisting ...
Food for thought: “All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you.” OCTAVIA E. BUTLER, Parable of the Sower This quote reminds us that everything we do has an impact, and every experience changes ...
Merry Christmas! Hard to believe that it has already been a year since the last one, but it has been a pretty crazy one.
My conscience is fairly clear, seeing as I have been working to get rid of as much of the old stuff as I can. Most of it was dumped on me by my parents and I was expected to carry it as my own, which is usually what I got for Christmas and which was why it didn't mean a whole lot to me.
It still boggles my mind that my parents did this to us when it was the last thing I wanted to do with my own daughter. Sadly she spent far too many years being brainwashed by her mother, so chances are that I won't even hear from her today.
All I know is that I tried to do the right thing this past summer, by rescuing her when she asked for help, but made the mistake of asking the wrong people to help with her situation.
She seems to think that I'm the worst kind of monster, or at least because of my roommate, because of her extreme control issues, so I haven't heard from her in a long time.
She led a very sheltered life and wasn't allowed to have a lot of life experience out of the house, so I do understand that most of what I have tried to share with her are things that she can't even begin to comprehend.
My childhood was the total opposite of hers, where my parents threw us to the wolves and we had to learn how to survive whether we wanted to or not.
Maybe someday she will figure it out, but I can't afford to let it weigh down my conscience like so many things have, when I wasn't the one who chose to turn my back on her.
I have too many other things to worry about right now that I need to sort through, in order to finally live my own life.
It's a sad story you weave Randy, but you have to remember that when it comes to any child being brainwashed, they don't see clearly.
Sadly, that's what being brainwashed is. When a child is pressurised into adopting and believing what they're told, often by forcible means, there is nothing anyone else can do.
Children are conditioned, are persuaded, re-educated, influenced and pressurised, often by a grandparent or a parent against another parent.
Your daughter will have to work everything out herself. When those influences you talk about are no longer in her life, her relationship with you will change.
What I find sad is that it has become a thing in families. It's not unique. I have experienced exactly the same thing.
Yes, a good conscience brings peace. I hope all your readers have a good, peaceful Xmas.
Yes, I hope so too. I am ever grateful for everyone's support. It is my wish for the world this Christmas.
Merry Christmas! Hard to believe that it has already been a year since the last one, but it has been a pretty crazy one.
My conscience is fairly clear, seeing as I have been working to get rid of as much of the old stuff as I can. Most of it was dumped on me by my parents and I was expected to carry it as my own, which is usually what I got for Christmas and which was why it didn't mean a whole lot to me.
It still boggles my mind that my parents did this to us when it was the last thing I wanted to do with my own daughter. Sadly she spent far too many years being brainwashed by her mother, so chances are that I won't even hear from her today.
All I know is that I tried to do the right thing this past summer, by rescuing her when she asked for help, but made the mistake of asking the wrong people to help with her situation.
She seems to think that I'm the worst kind of monster, or at least because of my roommate, because of her extreme control issues, so I haven't heard from her in a long time.
She led a very sheltered life and wasn't allowed to have a lot of life experience out of the house, so I do understand that most of what I have tried to share with her are things that she can't even begin to comprehend.
My childhood was the total opposite of hers, where my parents threw us to the wolves and we had to learn how to survive whether we wanted to or not.
Maybe someday she will figure it out, but I can't afford to let it weigh down my conscience like so many things have, when I wasn't the one who chose to turn my back on her.
I have too many other things to worry about right now that I need to sort through, in order to finally live my own life.
If I were to see my conscience on a monitor it would read steady. I'll survive as long as it stays that way.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Thanks Tim. Yes, steady is good. It means you're supported and balanced. I'd be happy with that.
We can always improve. It's what we individually need to do. Improve on yesterday, until we are much more improved.
Happy Holidays Tim.
It's a sad story you weave Randy, but you have to remember that when it comes to any child being brainwashed, they don't see clearly.
Sadly, that's what being brainwashed is. When a child is pressurised into adopting and believing what they're told, often by forcible means, there is nothing anyone else can do.
Children are conditioned, are persuaded, re-educated, influenced and pressurised, often by a grandparent or a parent against another parent.
Your daughter will have to work everything out herself. When those influences you talk about are no longer in her life, her relationship with you will change.
What I find sad is that it has become a thing in families. It's not unique. I have experienced exactly the same thing.
Merry Christmas Randy.