Overcoming Depression, Low Mood & Self-Criticism
Depression is rarely just about feeling sad. For many adults, it presents as a heavy, persistent fog, a state of emotional flatness or numbness that disconnects you from the people, hobbies, and life goals you used to love. When this low energy is coupled with a harsh, relentless “inner critic”, it can leave you feeling completely stuck, paralysed by perfectionism, and trapped in a loop of feeling “not enough”.
At Corewell, founded by clinical psychologist Dr Farzin Shaykhi, our experienced team of practitioners provides specialised, evidence-based therapy to help you lift the fog of depression. From our practice in Mitcham, we support individuals across Doncaster, Ringwood, Croydon, Ringwood North and Dandenong as well as the surrounding eastern suburbs to silence self-sabotaging thoughts, recover their vital energy, and rebuild self-compassion.
The Depressive Cycle: Numbness, Fatigue & The Inner Critic
Depression often builds a self-reinforcing loop. Low energy leads to withdrawal from daily activities, which triggers harsh self-judgement, leading to further emotional shutdown.
Our diverse clinical team works with you to interrupt this pattern across its many presentations:
- Persistent Sadness & Emotional Flatness: Moving past a state of chronic emptiness, psychological numbness, or feeling completely desensitised to joy.
- Loss of Motivation & Energy: Addressing the severe, heavy physical fatigue that makes simple daily tasks feel like monumental hurdles.
- Harsh Self-Criticism & Perfectionism: Softening the impossible internal standards that demand flawless performance, causing chronic anxiety, fear of failure, and executive burnout.
- Feeling Emotionally “Stuck”: Working through the psychological paralysis that tells you nothing will ever change or improve.
Specialised Clinical Screenings for Depression & Burnout
To build a highly tailored, effective recovery plan, the Corewell team uses objective, evidence-based assessment metrics during our initial consultation phases:
Mood & Affective Severity Profiling
We utilise gold-standard clinical screening inventories to differentiate between situational sadness, occupational burnout, and major depressive presentations, mapping the exact depth of your low mood.
Perfectionism & Cognitive Distortion Appraisals
Our clinicians map the specific behavioural profiles of your inner critic. We pinpoint whether your self-criticism stems from socially prescribed perfectionism, fear of rejection, or hidden attachment insecurities.
Behavioural Activation & Routine Mapping
We analyse your current daily energy expenditures and behavioural withdrawals to track exactly where depression is draining your motivation, identifying small, manageable windows for change.
What People Are Asking
“Why do I feel completely numb and empty inside instead of sad when I’m depressed?”
Our Answer: Emotional numbness is a subconscious protective defence. When your nervous system becomes entirely overwhelmed by chronic stress, anxiety, or self-criticism, it “shuts down” to protect you, resulting in emotional flatness.
“How do I stop chronic overthinking and perfectionism from paralysing my career?”
Our Answer: Perfectionism is often a shield used to avoid feelings of shame or inadequacy. We work on building psychological flexibility, allowing you to value excellent work without tying your human worth to flawless outcomes.
Revitalising Emotional Health: Our Therapeutic Pathways
Because depression impacts the mind, body, and nervous system, Corewell’s practitioners combine practical cognitive strategies with deep emotional processing:
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) & EFT: Teaching your brain how to soothe its own internal threat responses, replacing a punitive inner critic with proactive, kind self-understanding.
Behavioural Activation (BA): Strategically designed to gently stimulate your nervous system, safely rebuilding your daily motivation, physical energy, and routine engagement.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) & ACT: To help you identify, challenge, and distance yourself from deeply ingrained, unhelpful thoughts and the constant “not enough” narrative.
