Tattoos That Help: Mental Health Tattoos

There’s no easy or right way to deal with having a mental illness, but one way that some people use to cope with their condition is to get a tattoo about it. The specific design is up to the individual, as is the meaning, but overall, they can serve as a great way to tell yourself to keep going. That piece of ink can serve as a reminder that no matter how tough things get, you CAN do it, you CAN get through it, and you ARE strong enough. Read on to check out some designs to help you come up with your own mental health tattoo. :

Serotonin is an essential chemical in the brain that regulates things like our moods. It gives us feelings of happiness and well-being, facilitates our ability to learn, retain memories, and so much more. When the brain is lacking in serotonin, we experience a number of symptoms, and this is largely thought to be the culprit behind a number of mental illnesses. A number of disorders, like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and PTSD have been attributed to a distinct lack of serotonin.

Semicolon tattoos are the most internationally recognized symbols of mental health awareness thanks to Project Semicolon. What started as a symbol for suicide awareness has taken on many other mental illnesses. People get these tattoos to represent their struggles with depression, anxiety, and many other forms of illness. The idea being that there are days when it feels like you can’t go on, you can’t see your bad days ever ending or ever getting better, but you will find the strength to go on and continue; you know there’s a light at the other end of the tunnel and the way you’re feeling now will go away, as hard as that is to see at times. Getting a semicolon tattoo can manifest as a visual reminder of that – that they can do it. It helps people suffering from various mental illnesses that they have the strength to fight through their worst days.