Surfacing from a depression is not unlike being saved from drowning. Suddenly, you can breathe again. The first few gasps may feel a bit choking, but you can tell that you are finally getting the oxygen you need.
A weight has been lifted from your shoulders, and you can stand and walk tall – when you had been feeling crushed by the effort of simply living. Your senses come alive: a veil is lifted from your eyes and colors seem brighter and objects more distinct; sound has a clarity you have been missing; your senses of taste and smell seem sharper as you realize how dulled they had become. Even touch has a different feel. Depression can make the world around you seem unreal – and sensation less solid.
When depression starts to lift, suddenly you feel alive in a way you had forgotten you could feel.
