"To be able to find and work through a cerebral palsy and autism diagnosis, there needed to be a change in attitude from me. Our starting point towards mental and emotional healing, is where we find out about ourselves. Knowing what you’re dealing with is the start of 'the healing process.'

It is not enough to know you deal with something and ignore it for a quiet life, or have it and settle into life with it to appease others, it's important to work on yourself. It was important for me that I found ways to manage what I had to deal with around a disability I didn't know I had and to get to know about that disability.

So, it turns out I have cerebral palsy and autism, but they are not something I define myself by. It was important for me to understand my symptoms – and so that I could get to know me.

It's easy to ignore issues, in the hope they go away, but nothing goes away until we deal with them. It is better that we manage, and co-exist alongside what we get to deal with. It's the key to managing your life."

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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2 comments on “Our Starting Point”

  1. It sounds like you've reclaimed your precious life in the way you perceive things. Something is growing in you, Ilana.

    The fact is, you are timeless, your challenges are very temporary.

    1. Thanks Tim. That's kind. Yes, today is probably not the best day, but you're right. Through my intuition, I can sometimes effortlessly (and it's taken years to master the process) understand and work through my issues.

      My challenges are temporary, but anxiety and my bad thoughts sometimes feel permanent. A bad day brings them both back.

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