EILEEN WYNNE, PHD, LCSW
Psychotherapist & Life Coach:
Providing Therapy for New Orleans

Loneliness is a growing problem among young adults and career professionals, and as a therapist and life coach here in New Orleans, I see it every day in my practice. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made things worse, leaving many people feeling isolated and disconnected from others.

Do you find yourself constantly saying "yes" to requests from others, even when you genuinely want to say "no"?

Do you go out of your way to accommodate people, forgetting your own needs and desires in the process?

If this sounds familiar, you may exhibit people-pleasing behaviors.

You may not realize it, but you do talk to yourself. All the time, actually. And those words you say to yourself profoundly affect your mindset, self-belief, and ability to achieve your goals. The stream of self-talk running through your mind impacts your emotions, your outlook, and even your abilities.

That's why, as a licensed psychotherapist with my Ph.D. who has counseled countless young adults and professionals over my 25+ year career, I'm an enthusiastic proponent of positive daily affirmations.

In my work with clients, dreams often come up as a window into their inner worlds. My clients share dreams that seem bizarre or intense and wonder what meaning they could possibly have.

I believe everyone has the right to understand their personal dreams and use them as a positive force in their lives. Let’s look at dreams – why they happen, what they mean, and how best to use them – so that everyone can benefit from this underestimated human experience.

An interesting movement in therapy has arisen in the past few decades, driven by Dr. Martin Seligman. Known as “positive psychology,” Seligman’s philosophy resonated deeply with me. Instead of lingering on flaws and failings, this approach celebrates our strengths, potential, and the many facets contributing to a fulfilling life.

Self-awareness serves as a guiding light in our pursuit of personal growth and achievement. Yet, we often struggle to remain mindful, clear and focused when our goals seem far away. This is where mastering self-awareness comes in.

As a therapist and counselor in New Orleans, I work with individuals who desire to unlock their inner potential and achieve their goals daily. Through my practice, I have found that self-awareness is the foundation for building meaningful, successful lives.

If you are in a relationship - be it dating, marriage, family, or platonic - with a narcissist, you may find yourself in a manipulative situation that is difficult to escape.

A narcissist - someone who exhibits a grandiose sense of self-importance, needs excessive admiration, and has an exaggerated sense of entitlement - often uses various techniques to manipulate the people around them.

Navigating life during your twenties can be both exciting and overwhelming. From graduating college to entering the workforce, starting new relationships to managing finances – this decade is full of potential and potential pitfalls. When faced with these new experiences, it’s essential to protect your heart and mind.

As colleges and universities design and implement new safety procedures, COVID-19 may escalate one of the most frequent challenges college students face—isolation. Many college students struggle with figuring out where they “fit in” under normal circumstances. With social distancing and a limit on social gatherings, there is the potential for students to feel even more isolated during this time.

Everyone experiences freshman year in a different way. There is a lot to be excited about when going away to college—making new friends, being more independent, becoming involved in a community, and discovering new passions. However, many students also often wonder why no one told them how difficult the first semester of college might be. Managing unrealistic expectations is one challenge many students encounter during the first year of college, but there are many more.

Preparing for college is an exciting time. Students typically look forward to beginning a new chapter of their lives. With all of this energy spent looking forward, you naturally develop certain expectations. When the reality of an experience does not match an expectation, the gap between the expectation and reality can be difficult to handle.

Recent high profile suicides and the popularity of the show 13 Reasons Why have made it apparent that this is an issue that is increasingly commonplace and yet incredibly misunderstood. The CDC reports that in the United States, deaths by suicide have been increasing over the last decade. Suicide is now one of the top five causes of death for teenagers 15-19 years old.

Most people have heard of seasonal affective disorder, commonly referred to as SAD. If you have never lived in a place where there is a distinct winter season, you may think of the disorder as something difficult to understand, but the truth is that about 4-6% of people suffer from wintertime depression.

You know a confident person when you see one. They are cool and self-assured. Confidence is the belief that you can do what you set out to do. It is a trust in the self and certainty in one's abilities. It may seem like a skill that is arbitrarily handed out to some and not to others, but in truth, anyone can become more confident.

The #MeToo movement has captured national attention by making front page what has long been a dark secret. This movement has been a catalyst for many eye-opening and heartbreaking conversations. It has been sobering to read and hear the confessions of long-kept secrets from so many women in the public eye and our personal lives.

For all of the convenience of the modern world, from GPS systems to smartphones, interpersonal relationships seem to be getting more difficult to negotiate in the digital age. It may seem counter intuitive that in a time where we are more connected to those in our social networks more often than at any other point in history, so many people feel lonely and detached from one another.

October is Depression Awareness Month and as the month draws to a close, I think it is important to review the key indicators of depression. This is a great opportunity to help move toward greater understanding and improve education about depression, its symptoms, prevalence, and some of the courses of treatment available.