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 ...
This is a great quote from a wonderful book about a young idealistic African/American man in the American South and Harlem in the 1940s, whose aspirations are purposely undermined by the very people who pretend to help him, but actually only wish him harm.
We should all read more by Ralph Ellison. His words are just as valid today as they were when he wrote them.
The sad reality is the way things were back then. Thankfully the world has moved on and things are better, but we still must do more.
When we speak from the soul our words will always stay valid and in the moment. No matter what the year is, those words will always be valid in that moment, even if time has moved on.
The bottom line of course, is that people will always choose what they want to see.
Being invisible can be advantageous, like an unfamiliar shadow with a distant connection to it all. But people still leave human stains even when they can't see you.
There was a poem my father used to recite to me, to illustrate just how invisible most of us really are; but he always relied on his faith rather than surrender.
I think you're right. We are as invisible as we choose to be. Perhaps that's where we're going wrong, because being invisible will always makes us less accountable. The irony is that whether we hide or not, we will still be accountable. We tend to think it doesn't work that way.
Your father sounded very astute Tim. It's clear he innately understood life and gave that to you. Our inner beliefs usually pave the way.
I completely agree. We seem to be visible when we can be taken advantage of, or we completely have a different viewpoint than others that want to start an argument, (in the U.S. anyway).
It seems no one wants to sit down and get to really know a person's heart and spirit. This is one of many reasons why I feel like wanting to hide under a rock and never be found, which I know is not healthy to think.
The world is not a kind place to socialize and get to know people. Thankfully we have the Diary to think and feel and discuss these issues without fear of ridicule.
Awww thanks Bonnie. Yes, the Diary is a sanctuary for many of us to talk about our heartfelt issues. You're right, we don't sit down, get to know a person's heart or spirit. We hear, but we don't hear. Very sad.
I can also understand why you would want to hide. The world can be very scary. But the world aside, we must do what we need to do for our family.
It's so easy to take in negativity from what's happening in the world, which ultimately affects how we cope. I believe we need to concentrate on what's important to us in the moment and make those things our priority.
There's no getting away from the world issues of course, but family and getting them through their lives ready to face the world is what we must concentrate on.
What I do know is that the more at ease you feel about things, the stronger you'll be, the less you'll want to hide.
This is a great quote from a wonderful book about a young idealistic African/American man in the American South and Harlem in the 1940s, whose aspirations are purposely undermined by the very people who pretend to help him, but actually only wish him harm.
We should all read more by Ralph Ellison. His words are just as valid today as they were when he wrote them.
The sad reality is the way things were back then. Thankfully the world has moved on and things are better, but we still must do more.
When we speak from the soul our words will always stay valid and in the moment. No matter what the year is, those words will always be valid in that moment, even if time has moved on.
The bottom line of course, is that people will always choose what they want to see.
Being invisible can be advantageous, like an unfamiliar shadow with a distant connection to it all. But people still leave human stains even when they can't see you.
There was a poem my father used to recite to me, to illustrate just how invisible most of us really are; but he always relied on his faith rather than surrender.
I think you're right. We are as invisible as we choose to be. Perhaps that's where we're going wrong, because being invisible will always makes us less accountable. The irony is that whether we hide or not, we will still be accountable. We tend to think it doesn't work that way.
Your father sounded very astute Tim. It's clear he innately understood life and gave that to you. Our inner beliefs usually pave the way.
I completely agree. We seem to be visible when we can be taken advantage of, or we completely have a different viewpoint than others that want to start an argument, (in the U.S. anyway).
It seems no one wants to sit down and get to really know a person's heart and spirit. This is one of many reasons why I feel like wanting to hide under a rock and never be found, which I know is not healthy to think.
The world is not a kind place to socialize and get to know people. Thankfully we have the Diary to think and feel and discuss these issues without fear of ridicule.
Awww thanks Bonnie. Yes, the Diary is a sanctuary for many of us to talk about our heartfelt issues. You're right, we don't sit down, get to know a person's heart or spirit. We hear, but we don't hear. Very sad.
I can also understand why you would want to hide. The world can be very scary. But the world aside, we must do what we need to do for our family.
It's so easy to take in negativity from what's happening in the world, which ultimately affects how we cope. I believe we need to concentrate on what's important to us in the moment and make those things our priority.
There's no getting away from the world issues of course, but family and getting them through their lives ready to face the world is what we must concentrate on.
What I do know is that the more at ease you feel about things, the stronger you'll be, the less you'll want to hide.