A gush of endless tears rolling down your cheeks, a void so intense choking your very sense of being and making the insides of your body curl up, dreading the worst that could unfold. This is what life looks like for someone who confronts their inner demons every single day.

The deep-seated pain manifesting through the depths of one's soul may look different for everybody. While some struggle with invisible illnesses, their minds clutched in an unrelenting grip, others grapple with the brutality of physical or terminal diseases.

In both cases, the agony, both physical and emotional, takes the shape of an unbearable storm, one that crashes even harder upon those who have no one to hold them, no arms to collapse into or lay their heavy head on when the world feels like it is caving in. To not be cared for when at your lowest while bearing the brunt of life’s twists and turns is unimaginable.

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The word ‘love’ is often boiled down to romance, an idea where two people can't see anything beyond each other, bound by passion, labelling themselves as ‘soulmates.’ It’s intoxicating, the notion of being swept off one’s feet, of butterflies fluttering in one’s stomach at the mere locking of eyes.

But it's all fun and games only until life doesn't hit you hard in the face. Love is put to the test not in fleeting moments of joy but in enduring the darkness when one is no longer the person they once were. It is in the patience to sit beside someone who is drowning in their own mind, who has nothing to offer but blank stares and silence. To stare into eyes that once lit up with joy, but look lifeless now.

For the relationship to transition from the fragrance of roses to seeing your loved one howling and crying every day, this rock-solid endurance shapes a love that's real and unshakable. Moving beyond romantic relationships, this kind of love also extends to parents, siblings, friends, or even a trusted colleague, caressing your hair when your head throbs with the pain of the past and the present and when your body starts to jitter from the fear of the future.

Just the whisper of your loved one saying “I am here,” not just once but a thousand times over can put your mind at so much ease.

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As someone who has waged countless wars within my own mind, I have known what it means to be loved even when I could not love myself. I have felt the unending chaos of an anxious mind, the weight of thoughts that spiral until they nearly consume you. And in those moments, it was the voice of my father, reassuring me over and over, beyond exhaustion, beyond reason, that became my lifeline.

A thousand reassurances would still be an understatement, especially for someone like me who has a mind that has a mind of its own, brooding and obsessing until it nearly explodes. Imagine being obsessed with a negative thought so much so that it never leaves you alone. And in that moment when a parent, a partner, a friend or anyone you trust shows faith in you and tells you that they love you the way you are, isn't it bound to make you feel like you're God’s favorite child?

But mental health isn't the only battle that strips the human soul of peace. For some, mental health issues can be byproducts of bigger physical ailments, where it isn't just the body that's in a state of fight or flight, but also your mind that's on the verge of giving up. However, when both your mind and body have waged a war against you, the simple words "I’ve got you" coming from someone you love can be so deafening that for a split second, the noise of pain echoing in your ears will seem to fizzle away in an instant. Wouldn't it?

And yet, love like this is not always easy to receive. When your own mind convinces you that all hope is lost, that no words of comfort could possibly change the inevitable, it is difficult to believe in promises of better days. Especially when you have notes from your doctor saying that your condition isn't getting better any soon, words of encouragement can start to feel hollow and may have no effect on you.

But what one often fails to see in those moments is that love, in its truest form, does not exist to erase suffering. It exists to remind you that even in your weakest state you are not abandoned. That someone, somewhere, is ready to stake everything to see you smile. And mind you, this kind of love can get you swerving through the biggest of life's rollercoasters!

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The words ‘through sickness and through death’ may seem like an unrealistic promise, because not everyone has someone who’s ready to give their all to get you back. But for those who do have someone special, someone who isn’t around just for the goofy and Insta-worthy moments, know that you should treasure them.

What makes the caretaker and the struggling person’s relationship all the more interesting is how the one who loves you is ready to wait for you all their life, just as they show in the movies, even when there’s absolutely no chance of you returning back to your original self.

If this isn’t true love, then I don’t know what is.

For the caretaker to keep walking on a road that leads to no definite destination, for them to still walk down that path knowing that their efforts may not necessarily bear fruits, is special. It is fresh! A love like this transcends all boundaries of human existence and extends far beyond just the physical self. It is a connection so pious and pure that not a lot of people get to witness.

To have someone love you is a blessing, and to have someone continue loving you even when you have given up loving yourself is a miracle. So if you’re this special person to someone or have a special someone in your life who's held you through the ugliness, dirt and chaos, BINGO! You’ve found yourself a treasure to hide safely in a treasure box.

And if you're someone who wishes they had a person like this in their life, please know that there's no reason for you to compromise on the joys of life. Why look desperately for a person like this when you can love yourself with the same ferocity you long for from another? It may be the harder path, the lonelier road, but when you begin to face yourself with that same unwavering devotion, nothing in this world will ever seem powerful enough to break you!

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Stay true to yourself, and the rest will find its way. And if it doesn’t, perhaps it’s not the end, but the quiet beginning of something new.

You never know? (one never knows...)