Depression doesn’t always look like sadness. Sometimes it’s numbness, like being stuck in molasses, watching the world move while you lag behind. Other times it feels like heaviness or a weight that makes every task, even brushing your teeth or answering a text, feel like an uphill climb. You might still be functioning on the outside at work, at school, with friends but inside it feels like you’re running on 5% battery and no charger in sight.
For some, depression feels like a fog that won’t lift. For others, it’s a sense of disconnection, like caring about life has gone offline. You want to want to — but motivation, joy, and meaning feel just out of reach.
👉 If this sounds familiar, depression therapy at Mindful Mage Counselling can help interrupt the loops, rebuild momentum, and reconnect you with the parts of yourself that feel missing.
Depression isn’t one-size-fits-all, but here are some patterns we see:
Emotional blunting — feeling flat, disconnected, or “offline.”
Chronic fatigue — even small tasks drain your energy.
Loss of interest — hobbies, games, or relationships don’t feel meaningful anymore.
Negative self-talk — shame, guilt, or worthlessness playing on loop.
Social withdrawal — pulling away from friends, partners, or supports.
Sleep & appetite changes — sleeping too much or too little, eating without hunger or skipping meals.
Many clients tell us, “I don’t feel like myself anymore.” If that resonates, you’re in the right place.
“J was a second-year university student who started skipping classes, not because he didn’t care, but because it all felt pointless. He’d doomscroll Reddit for hours, then beat himself up for wasting time. He believed something was broken inside him, but couldn’t say when the sadness turned into numbness.
In therapy, we used Dr. Michael Yapko’s approach: less on why he felt this way, more on how he could act differently even when his brain said no. We built a list of micro-tasks: a five-minute walk, reading a single chapter, replying to one friend. We treated depression like a fog of war — he didn’t need to see the whole map, just uncover the next square. Over time, those squares added up to momentum.”
Depression can be influenced by biology, trauma, or big life events. But often it grows slowly, through environments shaped by:
Disconnection from people, purpose, or joy.
Comparison: especially online, where everyone else looks like they’re thriving.
Emotional suppression: hiding what feels “unacceptable.”
Over-functioning or perfectionism: grinding until your system crashes.
Burnout: living in survival mode until it becomes your baseline.
Many clients carry scripts like:
“I shouldn’t feel this way.”
“No one wants to hear about it.”
“I just need to push through.”
Over time, these stories eat away at hope and identity. Depression therapy helps you interrupt these loops and rebuild scripts that are more compassionate, supportive, and sustainable.
We don’t treat depression as a bug to fix. We see it as a pattern interruption — one that requires new habits, re-engagement, and small wins that stack over time. Similar to leveling up in a game, EXP is gained for completing small tasks, winning battles, defeating enemies or catching creatures. Think of depression as something that makes this leveling up process more difficult.
Therapy here may include:
Action-based therapy: behaviour first, mood follows.
CBT & DBT tools: catching harsh self-talk and building resilience.
Narrative therapy: reframing depression as part of your story, not the whole book.
Mindfulness & values-based strategies: reconnecting with what matters, even in small ways.
Gaming metaphors: depression as a status ailment, a fog of war, or the respawn after a failed quest.
Systems check: looking at sleep, digital habits, and routines that quietly fuel depression.
In real life, this might look like:
Setting your alarm without checking your phone right away.
Taking a shower even when your brain says “what’s the point?”
Choosing to game, rest, or scroll on purpose instead of out of avoidance.
Small shifts like these may not feel dramatic in the moment — but they’re how momentum gets rebuilt. This creates a snowball effect, helping you to "break free."
Depression convinces you that you are the problem. That your life is small, your joy is gone, and your effort doesn’t matter.
But here’s the truth: depression is a liar.
The fact that you’re reading this means some part of you still hopes for more. And that’s enough to begin. You don’t need motivation to start therapy. We’ll build momentum together through compassionate structure, small wins, and reminders of the parts of you that still exist under the heaviness.
Sometimes healing looks like washing one dish. Sometimes it’s walking to the end of the block. Sometimes it’s finally saying, “I feel numb,” and letting someone else hold that truth with you. Each step is a singular EXP — and EXP stacks.
You don’t have to climb the whole mountain today. You just need to uncover the next square of the map. Whether that’s booking a consult, showing up for one session, or even just admitting, “I want something different.”
Depression doesn’t get to write the ending. Together, we’ll find the next checkpoint.
👉 Book Your Free 20-Minute Consultation
👉 Learn more about our conselling approach