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 ...
My walls were originally built out of necessity, considering what I went through as a child. I jokingly say that my inner child is frozen in carbonite, but that actually isn't very far from the truth.
My parents put us through hell by what they exposed us to on top of their guilt, shame and remorse they buried us under over the years.
They continually bombarded us with their seeming hatred of each other, at times we all found different ways to protect ourselves.
My older siblings were lucky enough to escape when they could, but I was forced to endure the worst of it before my parents finally divorced for the second time.
It will take a lot of time and effort to take down the walls that I built to protect my sanity, but it wasn't like the walls were built overnight.
I just want to live my life without feeling paralyzed by the fears that have haunted my life for too long.
My walls were originally built out of necessity, considering what I went through as a child. I jokingly say that my inner child is frozen in carbonite, but that actually isn't very far from the truth.
My parents put us through hell by what they exposed us to on top of their guilt, shame and remorse they buried us under over the years.
They continually bombarded us with their seeming hatred of each other, at times we all found different ways to protect ourselves.
My older siblings were lucky enough to escape when they could, but I was forced to endure the worst of it before my parents finally divorced for the second time.
It will take a lot of time and effort to take down the walls that I built to protect my sanity, but it wasn't like the walls were built overnight.
I just want to live my life without feeling paralyzed by the fears that have haunted my life for too long.
Thanks Randy. Speaking from my own experiences you really are in charge and in the driving seat.
But I believe as walls go up, walls can be broken down. I also believe that with work on yourself, those fears you feel paralysed by will dissipate.
It's hard to imagine now, but it is true once you're through the other end.
We all have walls constructed by us or for us, but I do believe that we can steer ourselves in any direction we choose eventually.
We don't have to stay where we are and we can choose to get out.
I believe the same as you. As my story shows we can change and change our lives, but we must continue to believe in hope.
It's easy to get 'stuck in a rut' and stay there. Although I had no idea of how my life would change, I never unconsciously gave up on hope.
Hope is what kept me present and in control.