Amandeep Sandhu || How to Navigate Through Volatility and Dysfunctionality Within the Family – Ep. 05

In this episode, we talk to Amandeep Sandhu, the author of ‘Sepia Leaves’, an account of a family living under the shadow of schizophrenia from a young boy’s point of view. Heavily based on his own life, Amandeep talks about how he navigated through the volatility and dysfunctionality in his family which stemmed from their collective inability to handle his mother’s illness.

‘Nobody can stand in your shoes. You’re trying your best to live the right way. Persist in doing that’

We discuss

• What drove Amandeep to write the book?
• What is schizophrenia (based on what he saw and experienced)
• How he practices self-care today after having to shoulder the family’s responsibility since boyhood
• How he deals with people’s judgment and perceptions
• Amandeep’s battle between love and empathy for his family and the resentment he feels due to what he had to go through
• The mental pillars he’s leaned on to overcome volatility, violence, and dysfunctionality within his family 

Guest bio

Amandeep Sandhu is a writer and a journalist. He is the author of 4 books – Sepia Leaves (2008), Roll of Honour (2012), Panjab: Journeys Through Fault Lines (2019), Bravado to Fear to Abandonment: Mental Health and COVID-19 lockdown (2020). His essays and short stories have appeared in various anthologies, magazines and websites. He writes for Caravan, Scroll, The Hindu, The Hindu Businessline and others. He was a Fellow at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart from 2013-15.

Connect with Amandeep

Email | Website

QOTD

What’s the biggest takeaway from this episode for you? Write in and tell us – podcast@myndstories.com

Resources

• Sepia Leaves
• Roll of Honour
• Panjab: Journeys Through Fault Lines
• Amandeep’s Wikipedia

*Disclaimer – The content in this podcast is only for educational purposes. It cannot be considered as individual therapy advice or counseling and is not to be taken as medical or mental health advice.