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 ...
Yes, I have a hard time being "simple" as doing things the easy way isn't normal for me, as I've always done things the hard way!
Because of the many things I never learned how to do as a child, I put a lot of effort into looking like I knew what I was doing, rather than admit I didn't. It has caused an unbelievable amount of grief in my life, which I'm no longer willing just to tolerate.
It would actually be great to have a "simple" life for a change!
That's a great little saying. We do often over-complicate matters seemingly for no good reason, albeit sometimes without realising that is what we are doing; but we could do well to learn the art of simplifying our lives.
You're absolutely spot on with your comments in your last paragraph. By us avoiding unnecessary drama, not over thinking things and just going with the flow, we can live a more simplistic life. Thanks Maria.
I live by the idea that simple is great, so I do lead a simple life.
Obviously, being married some drama from our partners will try to spill into our lives. When that happens, I try to find the easiest solution to a problem. It doesn't always work the first try, that's when it gets complicated.
We've been trying to rid ourselves of people in our life that cause problems, it's not always easy to do so though.
Thanks Maria. Yes I know exactly what you mean. Although it's not easy dealing with family particularly, I think we owe it to ourselves to walk away from any drama, even if it included family.
Walking away from anyone isn't something we take on lightly of course, but our emotional health must always come first. The people who matter to us and don't cause problems are the people we should spend more time with.
Although I would always put family first, I have learned that sometimes we have to put ourselves first. My life has become more simple, because I have chosen to walk away from the drama.
We can't always have it both ways. Sometimes we do have to make a choice.
Simplicity is where we're likely to reside in the latter years of our life; but if I knew what I know now about simplicity, I would have lived there long before.
Yes, I have a hard time being "simple" as doing things the easy way isn't normal for me, as I've always done things the hard way!
Because of the many things I never learned how to do as a child, I put a lot of effort into looking like I knew what I was doing, rather than admit I didn't. It has caused an unbelievable amount of grief in my life, which I'm no longer willing just to tolerate.
It would actually be great to have a "simple" life for a change!
Thanks Randy. My wish for you Randy is that you go on to have more of that "simple" life you deserve to have.
Perhaps when things with your family settle down, your life will become more like that. I had to wait many years for my life to become more "simple."
It will come, but we must always give it time.
That's a great little saying. We do often over-complicate matters seemingly for no good reason, albeit sometimes without realising that is what we are doing; but we could do well to learn the art of simplifying our lives.
Thanks, yes I agree. We would do well to learn the art of simplifying our lives for reasons for obvious reasons.
I like the idea of living a simple life, which I attempt to follow. At times it's a bit difficult to do so, especially with young children at home.
I can still try to live a more simplistic life by avoiding unnecessary drama, not over-think things and go with the flow.
You're absolutely spot on with your comments in your last paragraph. By us avoiding unnecessary drama, not over thinking things and just going with the flow, we can live a more simplistic life. Thanks Maria.
I live by the idea that simple is great, so I do lead a simple life.
Obviously, being married some drama from our partners will try to spill into our lives. When that happens, I try to find the easiest solution to a problem. It doesn't always work the first try, that's when it gets complicated.
We've been trying to rid ourselves of people in our life that cause problems, it's not always easy to do so though.
Thanks Maria. Yes I know exactly what you mean. Although it's not easy dealing with family particularly, I think we owe it to ourselves to walk away from any drama, even if it included family.
Walking away from anyone isn't something we take on lightly of course, but our emotional health must always come first. The people who matter to us and don't cause problems are the people we should spend more time with.
Although I would always put family first, I have learned that sometimes we have to put ourselves first. My life has become more simple, because I have chosen to walk away from the drama.
We can't always have it both ways. Sometimes we do have to make a choice.
Simplicity is where we're likely to reside in the latter years of our life; but if I knew what I know now about simplicity, I would have lived there long before.
Thanks Tim. Unfortunately not all of us will, but we have to understand first what it means to live the simple life.
Like you I too would have lived a more simple life long before, had I not had so many obstacles to overcome.