News

Oct 09, 2023

13 Powerful Mental Health Tattoos

This story may be triggering to those who have experienced sexual violence,

This story may be triggering to those who have experienced sexual violence, self-harm, suicidal ideation, or attempted suicide.

Healing and therapy can come in many forms. For some, body art can be a way to mark steps along a mental health journey and serve as a reminder of inner strength along the way.

Ahead, 13 people who have gotten tattoos relevant to their own mental health journeys share the stories behind their art, what the words or images symbolize, and how their tattoos help them carry on along the road ahead.

Eva Acuna Olivas says that her inner forearm flora and fauna tattoo was a gift.

The artist Chase Fielder etched it as part of an ongoing project in which artists offer free tattoo sessions to cover self-harm scars.

"I'm big on focusing on the beauty of things, even difficult or painful experiences, so I wanted flowers and plants to lay across the part of my body that had seen a great amount of pain," Olivas says.

"The flowers remind me of my ability to blossom from every experience and hardship that I am met with," she says.

Olivas also has tattoos of koi located on her forearm. Symbolically associated with strength and perseverance, the koi evoke joyful childhood memories of visiting the koi pond at the local park with her mother.

"When I look at these pieces, I'm reminded of my strength and beauty that has been present with me through all of life's turbulent experiences," she says.

The words in Caitlin Migliaccio's tattoo derive from a Nayyirah Waheed poem, which she calls "a constant back-of-mind thought whenever I was getting particularly anxious."

The tattoo also includes the image of a ship navigating the wild curls atop a woman's head, a visual that popped into her mind whenever she thought of the phrase.

"To me, it means that nothing is insurmountable and I can weather the storm of even the big things."

After a brutal breakup, Lynette Pettinicchi got this tattoo as a reminder of her ability to carry on, even when challenges seem insurmountable.

"It's facing the wrong way so I can look down — whether I'm having a hard time with life or even during a marathon — and remember that I'm an unbreakable badass who has a long, fun life ahead and to keep moving forward," she says.

The person who wears this tattoo, who asked to remain anonymous, says that she battled depression and anxiety for most of her teenage and adult life, making a series of "bad decisions" and enacting "reckless" behaviors while many others in her sphere were suffering from opioid addiction.

She got a tattoo around her foot that says "be grateful for today," the phrase flanked by angel wings. "It was a dark time," she says. "I decided I wanted to be different – shift my mindset to a grateful one. And so I got a tattoo that reminds me every day [to be grateful]. It comforted me. It helped me keep going. It helped remind me that every single day is a gift."

Many people choose to represent their mental health journeys with a semicolon tattoo; the semicolon serves as a symbol of mental health awareness as well as suicide prevention.

Casey Goldstein: "I was ashamed and felt guilty — I had a good life, what should I have been depressed about," Casey Goldstein says of her struggle with depression. "Turns out the chemicals in my brain didn't care about how 'good' things were."

But with medication, she found relief. "About a year after I started the meds, I got a semicolon tattooed on the inside of my pointer finger as a reminder to myself and others to never feel shame or silenced about their mental health issues."

Lindsey Wilderotter: Wilderotter got her semicolon tattoo decorated with a motif of the sun and the moon. "While it reminds me of the dark times that I have been through in my life, it also in turn shows me that there is light that follows it," she says.

"That was my biggest inspiration for this tattoo — a constant reminder that light does follow darkness and no matter how dark things may seem, the sun will rise the next morning."

Lisa Sass: Depression runs in Lisa Sass' family; her uncle died by suicide when she was 8 years old. She was 13 when she began cutting herself and 20 and 21 when she attempted suicide.

"I'm doing a lot better now, having gone to therapy over the years and surrounded myself with a healthy, loving support system," she says. Her semicolon tattoo with flowers is "a reminder that life doesn't have to stop for one bad thing. It's a moment — recognize it, but life can and does continue."

She also says the tattoo is a reminder for her family: she hopes it encourages her family to keep going and that she is here to support them.

Krista Hamelin has struggled with her mental health for most of her life, she says, and she has experienced moments where she has "spiraled down to some pretty dark places. Depression and anxiety can really get the best of you sometimes."

To that end, she has a moth tattooed on her sternum with a crescent moon just above it. While some people are turned off by the insect, she sees it as a powerful symbol.

"They only come out at night and are drawn to the moonlight… The tattoo is a reminder that no matter how dark things get or how dark your thoughts are, to always follow the light."

Further, since moths go through metamorphosis, "they also symbolize change and transformation," she says. "It's a reminder that sometimes going through tough times is necessary for your growth and to become who you are meant to be."

Daniel "Bokey" Castillo's tattoo translates to "one day one step" — or in other words, one step at a time.

"I went through high anxiety levels in the past and couldn't figure out a way to overcome it," he says, "The tattoo is a reminder that no matter how difficult or overwhelming things may get, you can conquer anything by taking it one step at a time."

Lindsay Bell has two tattoos relating to her mental health journey: one is a linework of a lavender plant, and the other a quote that nods to overcoming self doubt.

"As someone with OCD, I obsessively think of the worst possible outcome in lots of situations and have to remind myself to also think of the good that can come out of a situation," she says.

"That quote is my take on reminding myself. The lavender plant is my reminder to breathe, because lavender essential oils are often used to help calm you down and relax. This way, I always have it on me."

Natalie Bickel's arm tattoo includes the words "you belong among," lyrics from Tom Petty's song, Wildflowers.

"So many times I've battled with self-confidence and self-worth," she says. "This tattoo reminds me that I belong among those in whatever room I walk into. I'm allowed to take up space and do so with purpose."

Samantha Crunkilton says that her arm tattoo represents infinite strength. As a survivor of a rape, she got the tattoo as "a reminder that I can overcome any challenges presented in my life," she says. "I made the decision to show strength and resilience every day rather than letting what happened to me consume and destroy my life."

Since then, she's faced many challenges and hurdles. "Having this reminder that I can and will have infinite strength to overcome anything thrown my way has been a great [resource] for me," she says.

Emily Roethle's forearm tattoo reads "inhale exhale," a gentle reminder to breathe. "I am diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and growing up, I dealt with frequent panic attacks," she says. "As a kid, it was very confusing."

She remembers how her father used to comfort her and calm her down from the physical symptoms by telling her to inhale and exhale while saying "relax" in her head. "It was the trick that continually helped bring me back to center," she says. "And this tattoo is a reminder to breathe and take a step back when things feel overwhelming."