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: “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.
Something inspirational: “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” SYLVESTER STALLONE Sylvester Stallone's quote ...
Food for thought: “The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.” IVY BAKER PRIEST An ending can feel like a loss, particularly when we cannot see what lies beyond it ...
Thanks Maria. Yes I agree. We put on a front that all is well with the world, with ourselves but our reality is completely different to the front we put on.
As your mum says, we put on a good face, because it's easier. That way we don't have to discuss or talk about how we really feel, or deal with those issues. I like this quote because it doesn't take us too seriously.
Thanks Tim. Your first paragraph really resonates with me, because that is what I have always believed I needed to do, even as a child.
I think we have come to sacrifice our souls because of society's acceptance of the human condition, or lack of acceptance. Individually we fit into a stereotype of what society deems fit for us as we find ways of being accepted.
I have never been accepted in that way, given what I've had to deal with over the years, so found my own acceptance and am happy with that.
Thanks, yes I quite agree. What is normal to one person, is far from normal to another. What is normal and if we know what normal is, do we ever conform to being 'normal?'
I agree. This has always been kind of my life philosophy, and I try to live by it every day.
In my opinion, to be "normal" would be what I consider weird. The terms are, honestly interchangeable. Life is more enjoyable when everybody has their own normal.
Hi Lael and welcome to the site. Yes, what is normal to one person is 'not normal' to another person.
I agree with you that life can become more enjoyable when we are able to accept each other's normal. Over the years, 'normal' has become interchangeable and is different for each of us.
I find this pretty funny as someone who has Bipolar. It also applies to everyone else who is found in a group whom they don't know about.
We put on the persona of being put together when really sometimes we're not. As my Mom says, in bad times put on a good face.
Thanks Maria. Yes I agree. We put on a front that all is well with the world, with ourselves but our reality is completely different to the front we put on.
As your mum says, we put on a good face, because it's easier. That way we don't have to discuss or talk about how we really feel, or deal with those issues. I like this quote because it doesn't take us too seriously.
I admire people who are able to do and say what is truly in them, even when it becomes a burden.
When you find yourself sacrificing too much to be normal and giving only half of who you really are, it gets boring and very unacceptable.
Thanks Tim. Your first paragraph really resonates with me, because that is what I have always believed I needed to do, even as a child.
I think we have come to sacrifice our souls because of society's acceptance of the human condition, or lack of acceptance. Individually we fit into a stereotype of what society deems fit for us as we find ways of being accepted.
I have never been accepted in that way, given what I've had to deal with over the years, so found my own acceptance and am happy with that.
I like this quote. It made me laugh. After all, who is to say what is normal?
Thanks, yes I quite agree. What is normal to one person, is far from normal to another. What is normal and if we know what normal is, do we ever conform to being 'normal?'
I agree. This has always been kind of my life philosophy, and I try to live by it every day.
In my opinion, to be "normal" would be what I consider weird. The terms are, honestly interchangeable. Life is more enjoyable when everybody has their own normal.
Hi Lael and welcome to the site. Yes, what is normal to one person is 'not normal' to another person.
I agree with you that life can become more enjoyable when we are able to accept each other's normal. Over the years, 'normal' has become interchangeable and is different for each of us.