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 ...
One of the many positives we can learn from failure is that it is better to fail while trying to be original, than it is to succeed by blindly following the crowd.
We are all unique and we have something which no one has we just have to recognise that, believe in ourselves and follow our heart.
Thanks. I was never 'in the crowd'. In school I was lost most of the time. I'd watch others larking around and having fun, but could never do that myself. I know why now.
I agree we are all unique. Whilst I continued to fail I somehow held on to the notion that me failing wasn't about me.
I think the universe was close by and it hasn't let me down. I agree we need to believe in ourselves, but also believe we have work to do on ourselves also.
To succeed by following the crowd, doesn't say anything for a person's uniqueness, uniqueness comes from following your own beliefs and path.
To fail is to learn, is to change. To have the success accolade doesn't bring peace and contentment if the ego is part of the achievement.
I have wasted most of my life trying to be like other people. I squandered many once in a lifetime opportunities, like raising my daughter right and a chance to be with 'the one'.
I have been far more afraid of success. Growing up I wasn't allowed to be happy unless my mother was, but she wasn't happy no matter what I did. Over the past couple of years I have found what I am good at, so I need to capitalize on it.
I feel as though I can finally do whatever it is that I want to do, up to and including finally being happy.
Thanks Randy. Yes, without good role models, it is difficult to capitalise on things like confidence and self-esteem. I can see why you have struggled, and through your struggles trying to be like other people.
It's wanting to be accepted, to find a place, for others to like you, for you to fit in. The reality is that without feeling confident, without the self-esteem, it is difficult to do all of those things.
It's lovely that you have found something you can capitalise on. That will over time, change the way you see yourself and the way you see others.
I have also been where you are or have been. As a child I didn't fit in either, but you learn later on with work on yourself, that you don't need to fit.
Yes, through my writing, through my blog and through my book Cerebral Palsy: A Story 'Finding the Calm After the Storm' I have learned to 'just be myself'.
One of the many positives we can learn from failure is that it is better to fail while trying to be original, than it is to succeed by blindly following the crowd.
We are all unique and we have something which no one has we just have to recognise that, believe in ourselves and follow our heart.
Thanks. I was never 'in the crowd'. In school I was lost most of the time. I'd watch others larking around and having fun, but could never do that myself. I know why now.
I agree we are all unique. Whilst I continued to fail I somehow held on to the notion that me failing wasn't about me.
I think the universe was close by and it hasn't let me down. I agree we need to believe in ourselves, but also believe we have work to do on ourselves also.
To succeed by following the crowd, doesn't say anything for a person's uniqueness, uniqueness comes from following your own beliefs and path.
To fail is to learn, is to change. To have the success accolade doesn't bring peace and contentment if the ego is part of the achievement.
I have wasted most of my life trying to be like other people. I squandered many once in a lifetime opportunities, like raising my daughter right and a chance to be with 'the one'.
I have been far more afraid of success. Growing up I wasn't allowed to be happy unless my mother was, but she wasn't happy no matter what I did. Over the past couple of years I have found what I am good at, so I need to capitalize on it.
I feel as though I can finally do whatever it is that I want to do, up to and including finally being happy.
Thanks Randy. Yes, without good role models, it is difficult to capitalise on things like confidence and self-esteem. I can see why you have struggled, and through your struggles trying to be like other people.
It's wanting to be accepted, to find a place, for others to like you, for you to fit in. The reality is that without feeling confident, without the self-esteem, it is difficult to do all of those things.
It's lovely that you have found something you can capitalise on. That will over time, change the way you see yourself and the way you see others.
I have also been where you are or have been. As a child I didn't fit in either, but you learn later on with work on yourself, that you don't need to fit.
Yes, through my writing, through my blog and through my book Cerebral Palsy: A Story 'Finding the Calm After the Storm' I have learned to 'just be myself'.