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: “What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again ...
Food for thought: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” CARL ROGERS Acceptance doesn't mean we stop growing. It means understanding ourselves without judgement ...
Something inspirational: “No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.” VIRGINIA WOOLF Life isn't a race. There is no pressure to perform, compare or prove yourself. Just be 'you'. That's it.
I used to see things in a very guarded, limited way.
I suppose I was more afraid of my potential than I was of my ignorance. But I knew how powerful my imagination was and how focused I could be, even though my mind was developed in a system that discouraged dreamers.
But one thing is for sure, we all need a healthy imagination to intersect with a world outside our own.
Thanks Tim. You're second paragraph is spot on. I believe it is the power behind the potential that frightens us into submission. We know we're capable, we're afraid of what lies beyond our capabilities.
If someone were to lead, we'd be quite happy to dip our toes, see what we can see. The irony is we can see, but we're not seeing. The eyes see, but the mind isn't focused.
Thanks Maria. I think you're right. I know from my own experiences that some of my senses are heightened as a result of my disability.
We learn to live and adapt into our lives through different channels. I have very limited imagination, but my senses are heightened through my intuition.
I think it's great that you can conjure different ways to complete ordinary tasks, which non-disabled people often take for granted.
I used to see things in a very guarded, limited way.
I suppose I was more afraid of my potential than I was of my ignorance. But I knew how powerful my imagination was and how focused I could be, even though my mind was developed in a system that discouraged dreamers.
But one thing is for sure, we all need a healthy imagination to intersect with a world outside our own.
Thanks Tim. You're second paragraph is spot on. I believe it is the power behind the potential that frightens us into submission. We know we're capable, we're afraid of what lies beyond our capabilities.
If someone were to lead, we'd be quite happy to dip our toes, see what we can see. The irony is we can see, but we're not seeing. The eyes see, but the mind isn't focused.
Imagination is a great thing. It allows us to see life differently.
In my case it allows me to conjure different ways to do ordinary tasks, when I can't do them the ordinary way because of my disability.
Thanks Maria. I think you're right. I know from my own experiences that some of my senses are heightened as a result of my disability.
We learn to live and adapt into our lives through different channels. I have very limited imagination, but my senses are heightened through my intuition.
I think it's great that you can conjure different ways to complete ordinary tasks, which non-disabled people often take for granted.