There’s a plateau that I always seem to hit in my recovery from a bout of depression. Since the first time I became depressed, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten past the plateau. I call it “Depression Limbo”. Here’s what I mean:

Depression Limbo is an in-between place where things aren’t terrible, but they’re not great, either. Because you’re not in the pit of darkness, it’s easy to think you’re doing alright; and you are- comparatively. Things aren’t great, but they are ok. This makes it hard to find the motivation to pull yourself out of Depression Limbo. You think “this isn’t so bad. I can settle for this.” And that’s where it gets dangerous. Depression Limbo is flat, so you have no idea how close you are to the cliff and, therefore, to crisis. You could be anywhere along the plateau, but it all looks the same.

I’m in Depression Limbo. It’s a familiar place; I’ve been here several times before. I can laugh again. I’m enjoying my hobbies. I’m exercising again. I’m tempted to say it’s good enough, but I know that that’s risky. I’m tired all the time, I don’t really want to eat, and I tend to be trapped in my routine. This time, I won’t be settling for “good enough”. I’m going all the way to the top.