When the news cycle is loud and life is already heavy, your nervous system pays the bill. In this episode of Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, host Charu talks with Andrea W LeDew, a former lawyer and mother of four, about turning political stress, grief and caregiver burnout into something usable through poetry, journaling and structured creative expression. Andrea shares how parenting a son with autism and intellectual disabilities, managing estate responsibilities after losing both parents and living through pandemic-era uncertainty pushed her toward writing as a mental health tool. The conversation also goes straight at the uncomfortable stuff. Emotional eating as coping, self-compassion vs self-sabotage, activism vs burnout and how to stay engaged without spiraling into rumination. Andrea’s book Polemics: Political Poetry, Poems and Prose frames writing as survival and invites listeners to process big emotions without pretending the world is not on fire.
About the Guest:
Andrea W LeDew is a former lawyer turned stay-at-home mother of four and a writer focused on poetry and essays that explore political change, civic identity and emotional resilience. Her book Polemics: Political Poetry, Poems and Prosebrings together years of work shaped by grief, caregiving and public events.
Key Takeaways:
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Political stress is real mental load. Naming it reduces shame and makes it workable for mental health and emotional well-being.
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Writing can function like therapy when it helps you feel, label and metabolize grief, rage and fear instead of suppressing them.
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Structure matters. Rhyme, form and constraints can keep expression honest without turning into endless rumination.
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Caregiver life adds chronic stress. If you are parenting autism or disability needs, coping tools must be realistic, not performative wellness.
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Comfort eating is common. The key line is habit. When coping becomes automatic daily behavior it shifts from self-compassion to self-sabotage.
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Activism can be healthier than hiding if it moves you from helplessness into values-based action and community connection.
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You can hold patriotism and critique at the same time. Reclaiming belonging should not erase marginalized experiences.
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Free speech and civic participation are not abstract. They are day-to-day practices that protect mental health through agency.
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“Touch grass” advice is incomplete. A better play is balanced inputs, boundaries on doomscrolling and intentional creative output.
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Your story is not finished. Creativity gives shape to chaos so it becomes something you can hold.
Connect With Andrea W LeDew:
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Disclaimer: This video is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed are the personal opinions of the guest and do not reflect the views of the host or Healthy Mind By Avik™️. We do not intend to harm, defame, or discredit any person, organization, brand, product, country, or profession mentioned. All third-party media used remain the property of their respective owners and are used under fair use for informational purposes. By watching, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer.
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