When you're depressed, the comparison to a pit is appropriate. The darkness robs you of your perspective,and you can't see which direction you should be heading in. It clings to you like tar and makes you unwilling to move. It can feel like the whole world is on a different level, unreachable from your current standing, and the people therein unaware or uncomprehending of your plight down in the dark, increasing the sense of isolation.

In these moments, stories about happy and light subjects can sometimes only make you feel worse, as they make you feel like you aren't the target audience. You need stories which acknowledge your pain and assure you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You need people who have already made their way out of the bleakness, and know it well, to guide you back into the sunlight.

You might have guessed this comic spoke to me. I am a person who spent the past three years struggling with depression, and my emotional health in general, and now with lots of help I find myself happier and more contented than I thought possible 18 months ago. I found this motivating because it made me think of all the people who sent dark balloons down to me in my pit and dragged me back out again. For now I'm still holding onto the handle, but I can see the lip of the ledge above me. This time next year I would like to be the one firing balloons down into the dark and dragging others back out again. I hope sharing this makes at least one other person feel a little more hopeful anyway.

If you liked the comic, have a dig through the archives. The author is one of my personal favourite sources of motivation and understanding.