Writing through Mental Health, Disability and Grief on The CP Diary

The world has changed in ways I never could have imagined – Brexit, Covid-19 and with an overwhelming shift in how society functions, life is harder for me.

There is grief in that. Losing my twin has added to that. 

Living with a mental disability also leaves me feeling emotionally drained and even more disconnected. I am faced daily with challenges that test my resilience and my mental health.

The CP Diary 'Space'

Through The CP Diary, I continue to give myself space where I can reflect, process and reframe my struggles. Writing is helping me to make sense of my emotional struggles and to remind myself that I’m still here – still fighting for mental health understanding and for mental health acceptance.

Sharing my Journey

Simply put, working with difference, means I don't automatically fit in. Not because I choose not to fit in, but because society doesn't embrace those of us who work with difference. We're mostly an inconvenience. But sharing my journey gives me a voice – while my writing continues to keep me functional, grounded. It gives me hope to keep fighting another day.

I write not only to navigate my own path, but also to offer a helping hand to others who may be walking their own emotional path.

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.

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