--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I could feel myself begin to recede, to…" description: "\"I could feel myself begin to recede, to tip and lose balance, slide toward the deeper darkness that had crept in from outside. It happened so quickly a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/bryan-mealer-95523_balance_i-could-feel-myself-begin-to-recede-to-t_170564.png" --- # I could feel myself begin to recede, to tip and lose… ![“I could feel myself begin to recede, to tip and lose balance, slide toward the deeper darkness that had crept in from outside. It happened so quickly and took me by surprise; sometimes I just turned around and found it there-ah, camarade-unaware it had been waiting for me for days.” quote by Bryan Mealer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/bryan-mealer-95523_balance_i-could-feel-myself-begin-to-recede-to-t_170564.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/bryan-mealer-95523_balance_i-could-feel-myself-begin-to-recede-to-t_170564.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/bryan-mealer-95523_balance_i-could-feel-myself-begin-to-recede-to-t_170564.png) > “I could feel myself begin to recede, to tip and lose balance, slide toward the deeper darkness that had crept in from outside. It happened so quickly and took me by surprise; sometimes I just turned around and found it there-ah, camarade-unaware it had been waiting for me for days.” [Bryan Mealer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-mealer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A sudden slide into darkness can catch us off guard, revealing hidden struggles. **In simple terms:** Unexpected darkness can appear quickly. Key Takeaway Stay alert to hidden mental health risks. Themes mental health depression balance awareness vulnerability Mood somber cautious Type Balance:0 Darkness:1 Deeper:0 Depression:1 Feels:0 Found:0 Happened:0 Illness:0 Loses:0 Mental illness:1 Slides:0 Sometimes:0 Surprise:0 Waiting:0 Took Surprise:0 Darkness Crept:0 Deeper Darkness:0 Crept Outside:0 When to use this quote - therapy - self‑monitoring - support groups Key Concepts darkness encroachment psychological decline unexpected triggers Questions to Reflect On - What signs precede a mental health decline? - How can we create safe spaces for early help? A Different Perspective Denial may prevent early intervention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Crept Outside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crept-outside-1846844/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Crept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-crept-1801615/) [Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) [Deeper Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper-darkness-1846843/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-illness/) [Slides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slides/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Took Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-surprise-616828/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) ## Related quotes > [I could feel myself begin to recede, to tip and lose balance, slide toward the deeper darkness that had crept from outside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-mealer/i-could-feel-myself-begin-to-recede-to-tip-and-lose-balance-slide-2/) [Bryan Mealer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-mealer/) > [“Happiness was a shield that veiled me not only from the hardships of the world but also from the real me. When darkness crept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alka-dimri-saklani-beyond-secrets/happiness-was-a-shield-that-veiled-me-not-only-from-the-hardships-of/) [Alka Dimri Saklani, Beyond Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alka-dimri-saklani-beyond-secrets/) > [“I curled into a ball under the thin covers, trying to get warm. 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Was I trying to confirm the ties that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/what-was-i-hoping-to-gain-from-this-he-asked-himself-as-he-strode/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“And thus unknowingly, Dor began to serve his sentence -- to hear every plea from every soul who desired more of the thing he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/and-thus-unknowingly-dor-began-to-serve-his-sentence-to-hear-every/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Returning hate, adding deeper darkness to a night that is already void of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/returning-hate-adding-deeper-darkness-to-a-night-that-is-already-void/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Shall I turn up the light for you? No, give me deeper darkness. Money is not made in the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/shall-i-turn-up-the-light-for-you-no-give-me-deeper-darkness-money-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Sharon dropped to her knees and reached her hand over the edge. The gesture was supposed to be a sign of support. But she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/sharon-dropped-to-her-knees-and-reached-her-hand-over-the-edge-the/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“What was I hoping to gain from this?...Was I trying to confirm the ties that make it possible for me to exist here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/what-was-i-hoping-to-gain-from-this-was-i-trying-to-confirm-the-ties/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [As a woman working in an industry that's predominantly rules by men, sometimes you are taken lightly. But I try and see it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sargun-mehta/as-a-woman-working-in-an-industry-that-s-predominantly-rules-by-men/) [Sargun Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sargun-mehta/) > [Like anyone who records music or writes a song, I thought, 'Wouldn't that be cool if someday I were able to do this for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-ervin-beam/like-anyone-who-records-music-or-writes-a-song-i-thought-wouldn-t/) [Samuel Ervin Beam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-ervin-beam/) > [He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise. He had a pickup truck, and the devil's eyes. He stared at me and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/he-shook-a-me-up-he-took-me-by-surprise-he-had-a-pickup-truck-and-the/) [Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/) > [“These occasions always took him by surprise. He was shocked anew each time the crisply surveyed, neatly kept world he so cherished rose up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/these-occasions-always-took-him-by-surprise-he-was-shocked-anew-each/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) ## More by Bryan Mealer > [I could feel myself begin to recede, to tip and lose balance, slide toward the deeper darkness that had crept from outside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-mealer/i-could-feel-myself-begin-to-recede-to-tip-and-lose-balance-slide-2/) [Bryan Mealer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-mealer/) [Explore all 2 Bryan Mealer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-mealer/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. 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Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. 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Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I could feel myself begin to recede, to tip and lose balance, slide toward the deeper darkness that had crept in from outside. 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