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 ...
People confuse religion and spirituality. Religion is a set of rules created by humans and which has become a tool for prejudice and hatred, whereas spirituality is a set of values by which people live.
I can't remember who said it, but we must stop confusing the two.
This reminds me of the expression I have heard around the halls of AA. 'Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell, spirituality is for people who have already been there.'
I have been there a few times, so it isn't a place that I would like to return to anytime soon. I don't really care to discuss what it is that I believe in with people, since so many of them try to tell me that I'm wrong, if I don't believe the same way they do.
I'm not really sure of what it is that I believe in right now, which doesn't help either. I'm just trying very hard to work on setting as many things right as I can in my life, in the time I have left, so I can leave feeling like I did some good while I was here.
Thanks Randy. Yes, I don't quite understand the expression by the 'AA' unless it implies that once you've been to hell, you come back a different person, through hellish experiences and as a result begin to change and incorporate more spiritual values.
What you think you believe is for you Randy. You shouldn't have to convince others. I am certain though that once your more settled in yourself, your beliefs will fall into place.
When others pull the strings it's very difficult to think or equate anything for yourself. In my formative years particularly, those were my experiences. Things got slightly better when I left home.
Thanks Tim. Yes, that's true but still can't help but think, how many people wouldn't want to articulate Brad's comments and I say that respectfully.
We know what we want to know. Through various conversations, it often become clear to us whose mind is open and whose mind is permanently closed and it becomes obvious that 'we're flogging a dead horse.'
People confuse religion and spirituality. Religion is a set of rules created by humans and which has become a tool for prejudice and hatred, whereas spirituality is a set of values by which people live.
I can't remember who said it, but we must stop confusing the two.
Thanks. I've nothing that I feel I need to add. I'm happy to leave your response with you.
This reminds me of the expression I have heard around the halls of AA. 'Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell, spirituality is for people who have already been there.'
I have been there a few times, so it isn't a place that I would like to return to anytime soon. I don't really care to discuss what it is that I believe in with people, since so many of them try to tell me that I'm wrong, if I don't believe the same way they do.
I'm not really sure of what it is that I believe in right now, which doesn't help either. I'm just trying very hard to work on setting as many things right as I can in my life, in the time I have left, so I can leave feeling like I did some good while I was here.
Thanks Randy. Yes, I don't quite understand the expression by the 'AA' unless it implies that once you've been to hell, you come back a different person, through hellish experiences and as a result begin to change and incorporate more spiritual values.
What you think you believe is for you Randy. You shouldn't have to convince others. I am certain though that once your more settled in yourself, your beliefs will fall into place.
When others pull the strings it's very difficult to think or equate anything for yourself. In my formative years particularly, those were my experiences. Things got slightly better when I left home.
Literacy hasn't made people smart enough to understand what Brad just articulated.
Beautiful comment Brad!
Thanks Tim. Yes, that's true but still can't help but think, how many people wouldn't want to articulate Brad's comments and I say that respectfully.
We know what we want to know. Through various conversations, it often become clear to us whose mind is open and whose mind is permanently closed and it becomes obvious that 'we're flogging a dead horse.'