Tattoos have always had power and meaning beyond ink on the skin. It indicates rank and status within a community, group membership, visually expresses internal states, and expresses pure aesthetics. There are endless reasons why we get ink on our skin.
Meanwhile, mental health and mental health awareness are increasingly moving from taboo to part of everyday conversation. For many of us who struggle with mental health issues, tattoos can be empowering, raise awareness, and show solidarity with others moving forward.
Although there are many variations, here are some of our favorite mental health tattoo designs for self-care and self-love.
1. Butterfly
A classic butterfly tattoo is more than just a cute design. A butterfly begins its life as a caterpillar and then metamorphoses into its final form as a vibrant and beautiful creature capable of flight.
This journey resonates with those who have struggled with mental health, gone through difficult times, and made it to the other side.
2. lotus flower
Flower tattoos are evergreen and always in fashion. You can’t go wrong with roses, peonies, and chrysanthemums. But for people with mental health issues, the lotus flower has a deeper meaning.
Lotuses grow from the mud of bodies of water and bloom on the surface of the water in bold shades of purple, pink, and white. It represents strength, resilience, and the potential for rebirth despite difficult circumstances.
Many clients and artists combine the lotus with animal images, the Om symbol, and other images to enhance the meaning of the lotus. A popular text variation is “Every flower must grow out of mud.”
3. Seated meditator
Many people recognize the seated meditator tattoo as representing a connection to Buddhism, yoga, and other spiritual practices, but this tattoo also has mental health meanings.
For those who struggle with anxiety, being in the present moment can be difficult. This Mindfulness His tattoo is a reminder to focus on what you can control right now.
4. Breathe
A well-placed text tattoo will remind you to focus. Anyone familiar with the experience of panic attacks will know that they can feel overwhelming and like you have no control over your body.
This simple text tattoo is often applied on the fingers, wrists, forearms, and inside of the hands to help refocus your energy and control your breathing.
5. Semicolon
One of the simplest designs on this list has deep meaning within the mental health community. In writing, a semicolon is used when a writer could end a sentence, but still continues the sentence. Examples of this technique are everywhere if you pay attention.
Many people suffering from suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses get semicolon tattoos on their bodies to represent their determination to overcome their challenges.
Many celebrities, including Selena Gomez, have adopted this tattoo design to raise awareness for Project Semicolon, suicide prevention, and mental health organizations.
6. Broken Chain
Broken chains, commonly seen in prison tattoos, are a powerful image representing freedom from bondage, imprisonment, and oppression.
Those who suffer from depression or anxiety may interpret it as a symbol of self-acceptance or a break from identifying themselves solely with their mental health struggles. It can also represent someone who has suffered from trauma but has grown out of it.
It is often tattooed on the hand, under the collarbone, or on the wrist.
7. This too shall pass
This text tattoo is an adaptation of a saying from a medieval Persian Sufi poet. For many people, things will not always be exactly the same as they are now. Good, bad, and neutral things don’t last forever.
For those who are going through difficult times, this affirmation is a gentle reminder to be strong, persevere, and never lose hope. It can also help balance out the sometimes prevalent negative self-talk that accompanies mental illness. Often this style of body is the preferred font in his art with a delicate script, but some prefer it in Persian calligraphy.
8. Barbed wire
Barbed wire tattoos originated in the criminal world, with each spike along the wire representing a year in prison. However, since it became part of the larger lexicon of tattoos, its meaning has changed and people seek it out for different reasons.
Because climbing over a barbed wire fence is painful, many wearers see it as a bold expression of the pain and trauma they have survived. From another perspective, this meaningful tattoo can be seen as protection from the challenges we face.
9. serotonin compound
The neurotransmitter serotonin is also called the happiness hormone. Many medications prescribed for depression and anxiety increase serotonin levels in the brain.
Serotonin tattoos are usually done as simple line tattoos in the design of its chemical structure. Some designs embellish the basic layout with flowers.
People choose this tattoo to represent their struggles with mental health or to raise awareness and show solidarity with others. This tattoo can become a meaningful part of your mental health journey.
10. Phoenix
The mythical phoenix is ​​an immortal bird that rises into flames and remains alive for hundreds of years before rising from the ashes with new life. A phoenix tattoo represents going through a difficult time and coming back stronger than ever.
This bird is often depicted in bold red or orange colors, sometimes engulfed in flames, and flying with its wings spread upwards.
11. Moth
Many of us are familiar with the expression “like a moth to a flame.” Although this expression means being attracted to things that can hurt us, it also has another meaning when it comes to mental health tattoos.
Nocturnal moths only come out at night and are attracted to light sources. For some, this means remembering to follow the light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how difficult and dark things are. Like butterflies, moths also undergo metamorphosis before reaching their final form.
Often tattooed on the sternum or abdomen, variations on the basic design incorporate a crescent moon or another light source.
12. Lavender plant
The lavender plant is popular for its calming and calming essential oil. Its color and shape make it perfect as a houseplant or garden plant.
While this tattoo may be chosen solely for its beauty, people who suffer from anxiety may choose to get a lavender tattoo to subtly express their relationship with anxiety. These are usually created as simple line drawings, shaded with pops of purple and green.
13. Koi fish
The key to the meaning of the koi tattoo lies in the legend of the Dragon Gate. In this story, a carp overcomes rivers and waterfalls to reach the dragon gate at the top of a mountain, where it transforms into a powerful dragon.
Often depicted as two fish or one fish coming out of water, this tattoo symbolizes perseverance, strength, determination, and resilience to overcome difficult times.
14. Green Ribbon
The Green Ribbon is an international symbol of mental health awareness. People who wear this tattoo may be suffering from mental health issues themselves, but they use it to express solidarity with friends, family, and anyone else facing hardship. You may have put it in.
The most common design is just the ribbon itself, but it may also be incorporated into other designs, such as flower stems, butterfly bodies, or accompanying text.
15. Overthinking mind
Overthinking heads belong to a broader category than a single design. These designs usually show a modified human face. Faces with mazes, spirals, or squiggles, heads with multiple faces attached, and faces with mist coming out are all common variations.
From a mental health perspective, the implications of these designs are endless. For some people, it represents the feeling of living with bipolar disorder, anxiety, or other conditions that cause mental turmoil.
16. self-harm cover up
For people who have experienced self-harm, tattoos can be a powerful way to turn that pain into something positive. This category of tattoos is all about personalization, so there is no single most common image.
For scars caused by cuts, some people choose to get tattoos that interact with them. This could mean that the tattoo is designed around the scar, or the space between the scars is used to incorporate text. Some choose to cover them completely with hopeful and inspiring images.
Mad Rabbit can help your honor mental health tattoo
Tattoos of all kinds are very personal, but designs that speak to mental health issues are even more personal. From simple line drawings to intricate designs layered with text and meaning, these tattoos offer a sense of comfort and security to their wearers.
Mad Rabbit’s tattoo aftercare products can help you continue living your life with your mental health tattoo with the same thought, intention, and care you had when you made the decision. Our Soothing Her Gel supports the healing process by restoring the moisture barrier and soothing inflammation during the first two weeks of healing.
Applying our tattoo balm daily to newly healed tattoos or existing work will preserve your tattoo balm and keep your meaningful designs vibrant long after you leave the chair.
source:
The importance of mental health awareness | Pinerest
Chemical structure of serotonin | Chemspider
Overview | Project Semicolon
