Depression

Words by James
Drawing (pencil) by ArtGirl, Bury St. Edmunds

Depression

People say depression is like being at the bottom of a deep and dark hole.
I’ve been there.
There is no way out of the hole, or at least that is what you tell yourself when you are there. It seems like everything is against you and there is no option open to climbing out.

However, I’m now out of the hole so that proves that it was a temporary thing. I have every intention of never being there again, but, I know that it is possible for anyone to fall in this hole.
Some people are more likely than others to fall in it in the first place and some will find it easier to get out.
Some people don’t escape this hole.

When I was at the bottom of the hole a friend once said “Here is your ladder, climb out”. I said that wasn’t possible, or that easy as he made it sound. But then he said “I will meet you in two days for a coffee at 10.30am in Greggs”.

That was possible. I slowly ventured out of the house and saw the sky and trees and people and cars once again. I stroked someone’s dog. The world seemed a little different to the dark corner of my living room where I’d been stationed on the floor for two weeks.

Leaving the house to go to the coffee shop was a first and second rung on the ladder and stroking the dog a third.

by James, aged 35