1. The question "Why bother?" may begin to go away.
2. Your ability to feel physical pleasure and pain might return.
3. You might actually feel "the pain of getting a bruise or the pleasure from having a good stretch."
4. And sadness may become a distinct feeling that you can recognize, instead of a constant state.
5. Your weight might begin to stabilize.
6. Food might begin to regain its taste.
7. You might begin to sleep more deeply and wake more rested.
8. You might start to find joy in small projects.
9. Nasty thoughts may begin to quiet and fade.
10. You might feel like you don't need to carry yourself around anymore.
11. The little things -- like popcorn, and dog parks, and driving with the windows down -- might slowly regain their charm.
12. It might happen so gradually you don't realize until you look back.
13. Or it might happen suddenly.
14. "Life might go "from bleak and somber to colorful and exciting."
15. Colors might pop; everything might look "more vibrant, as if some sort of noir-grey filter has been lifted and [you can] finally see things as they are."
16. You might start looking forward to things again.
17. You might begin to prioritize.
18. When something bad happens, your first thought may no longer be "'My life is over' or 'I should kill myself.'"
19. People might ask you insensitive questions, like "What happened?" or "What did you have to be sad about?"
20. But slowly, you might become less shakeable.
21. The sun might feel "warm and inviting instead of harsh and too bright."
22. You might stop over-thinking and start living.
23. You may be able to start enjoying life without "thinking about whether [you're] happy or not."
24. You might begin to take care of yourself.
25. You might struggle with building back your habits.
26. You might begin to rebuild your social relationships.
27. You might relapse.
28. One day, you might just notice you don't feel the same way anymore, "like a dark cloud had passed and [you] didn't even notice it until later."
29. You might become more capable of dealing with everyday anxieties.
30. Maybe it will feel "like a seriously heavy fog lifted, or a debilitating sinus infection suddenly cleared up."
31. Or maybe it won't feel like much at all, just: calm.
33. As you begin to recover from depression, you might realize, -- gradually or suddenly -- that people need you, that people want to help you get better. That you are loved.
It gets better. If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Many thanks to this thread on Reddit.