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 ...
Yes, for far too long I lived in denial, but I can't continue, considering I can see far more than I ever wanted to.
I grew up in a world where we were supposed to live with blinders on and were expected to just ignore what was really going on around us. It's hard to do when not paying attention could have been deadly, which isn't a position any child should be put in; but was a daily thing for us.
It's pretty amazing that we actually survived, considering the places we ended up in. I'm just trying to face a lot of things that need to be changed even though it may be some of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.
People actually do this on a daily basis, but it wasn't an option in my world as a child, so I have to try to remember that I am an adult and it is very okay for me to make choices to better my life, instead of just tolerating things like I have always done.
Yes it is OKAY for you to make choices to better your life. That is very much what our life is about, even though like myself Randy, our lives never started that way.
No matter how hard it is, things won't change unless we face those things. In your case the things you face can be changed now. You get to make your own call, you can make your own decisions, regardless of others.
If they're not happy it's up to them to change things for themselves; but you are very much your own boss. I would rather make a decision to change certain aspects of my life however hard, than live with something I would regret for the rest of my life and that includes relationships.
Thanks, yes of course. We will never know if we can change anything until we work on that thing.
Perhaps we need not think about change in that way. When we try too hard to work on change, we will inevitably fail. I think sometimes we just have to work on doing our best.
If we go on to achieve change of course, we will have set out to do what we hoped we could do.
Thanks Tim. Yes, I think that in this fast-past uncertain world we're in, we probably have more self-doubt. It comes through others' decisions over our lives that we literally have no control over.
But I think you're right. It's important we lose 'our timid reaction' to failure because that allows us to by-pass any self-doubt that comes from that failure.
I tend to go with the philosophy that whatever doesn't work, it was never meant to be. I think we also put too much importance on the wrong things and when those things don't work out, we're left with more self-doubt.
I'm trying to face my challenges blind. I know I'm here for a reason (as I believe all of us are) and I feel like I'm waving my arms in fog looking for something to grasp. Not knowing what I'm supposed catch and hold on to.
Sadly, it took me 46 years to work out the same thing Bonnie. But I believe what you believe. It's important to hold on to your inner beliefs; although I agree it's not easy, particularly when we're feeling in limbo.
I believe things are presented to us, when they're supposed to be, but we must continue to make ourselves aware. In all those years, I never stopped unconsciously believing something would change, that I would get to find out that I had something that would explain my physical and neurological difficulties.
Of course, I never expected or anticipated I'd be doing what I'm doing no, so my message is never give up hope or believing you have something to offer. I think these things happen when we least expect them too, but we must stay connected with our own unconscious thinking and that of the Universe.
That is exactly what happened to me. I wasn't prepared to give in or up and continued to believe in a higher power, even though I didn't know what that was.
You're welcome Bonnie. Like me, I believe part of your purpose was to find out what was wrong with you and that is something you're already looking into and hopefully it won't be too long before you get your answers.
Once you have the answers on your disability, I believe you'll feel a lot happier about what you've known little about for all of these years.
Sadly, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, frustrated at the injustice of what becomes our life. As I have done, you will feel enormously relieved to know what is wrong with you.
Yes, for far too long I lived in denial, but I can't continue, considering I can see far more than I ever wanted to.
I grew up in a world where we were supposed to live with blinders on and were expected to just ignore what was really going on around us. It's hard to do when not paying attention could have been deadly, which isn't a position any child should be put in; but was a daily thing for us.
It's pretty amazing that we actually survived, considering the places we ended up in. I'm just trying to face a lot of things that need to be changed even though it may be some of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.
People actually do this on a daily basis, but it wasn't an option in my world as a child, so I have to try to remember that I am an adult and it is very okay for me to make choices to better my life, instead of just tolerating things like I have always done.
Yes it is OKAY for you to make choices to better your life. That is very much what our life is about, even though like myself Randy, our lives never started that way.
No matter how hard it is, things won't change unless we face those things. In your case the things you face can be changed now. You get to make your own call, you can make your own decisions, regardless of others.
If they're not happy it's up to them to change things for themselves; but you are very much your own boss. I would rather make a decision to change certain aspects of my life however hard, than live with something I would regret for the rest of my life and that includes relationships.
The only way we can find out if anything can be changed is to try and change it. We get to know soon enough.
Thanks, yes of course. We will never know if we can change anything until we work on that thing.
Perhaps we need not think about change in that way. When we try too hard to work on change, we will inevitably fail. I think sometimes we just have to work on doing our best.
If we go on to achieve change of course, we will have set out to do what we hoped we could do.
Self doubt, there's no way of getting away from it, unless we lose our timid reaction to failure; that's what I've learned over the years.
Thanks Tim. Yes, I think that in this fast-past uncertain world we're in, we probably have more self-doubt. It comes through others' decisions over our lives that we literally have no control over.
But I think you're right. It's important we lose 'our timid reaction' to failure because that allows us to by-pass any self-doubt that comes from that failure.
I tend to go with the philosophy that whatever doesn't work, it was never meant to be. I think we also put too much importance on the wrong things and when those things don't work out, we're left with more self-doubt.
I'm trying to face my challenges blind. I know I'm here for a reason (as I believe all of us are) and I feel like I'm waving my arms in fog looking for something to grasp. Not knowing what I'm supposed catch and hold on to.
Sadly, it took me 46 years to work out the same thing Bonnie. But I believe what you believe. It's important to hold on to your inner beliefs; although I agree it's not easy, particularly when we're feeling in limbo.
I believe things are presented to us, when they're supposed to be, but we must continue to make ourselves aware. In all those years, I never stopped unconsciously believing something would change, that I would get to find out that I had something that would explain my physical and neurological difficulties.
Of course, I never expected or anticipated I'd be doing what I'm doing no, so my message is never give up hope or believing you have something to offer. I think these things happen when we least expect them too, but we must stay connected with our own unconscious thinking and that of the Universe.
That is exactly what happened to me. I wasn't prepared to give in or up and continued to believe in a higher power, even though I didn't know what that was.
Yes, definitely. I keep telling myself the same thing. Knowing eventually my purpose will come; that I'll see it in due time.
Thank you for your kinds words of encouragement and support, always.
You're welcome Bonnie. Like me, I believe part of your purpose was to find out what was wrong with you and that is something you're already looking into and hopefully it won't be too long before you get your answers.
Once you have the answers on your disability, I believe you'll feel a lot happier about what you've known little about for all of these years.
Sadly, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, frustrated at the injustice of what becomes our life. As I have done, you will feel enormously relieved to know what is wrong with you.
That will bring a different thinking from you.