Tattoos for Anxiety

There is an increasing trend for people to get tattoos for anxiety and mental health issues. Whilst the tattoos don’t directly impact the anxiety issues they can certainly act as reminders, mood boosters or positive symbols that things can change and will get better.

Having a personal statement or imagery placed on your body can tell others of the struggles that you are going through or that you have survived. They can also act as elements that ground you and make you mindful of what you want to achieve and where you want to go. Whilst tattoos are not for everyone there is certainly a demand for personalised body marks to illustrate anxiety and mental health-related issues.

This post may contain affiliate links which means that we get a commission if you choose to make a purchase through the link. This is at no cost to you. Please read our disclosure page for more information.

If you are experiencing issues with anxiety then you can download our FREE PDF to help you get started on learning to manage any problems with anxiety or fear.

Get Our FREE 5 Step Formula to End Anxiety

How Do Tattoos Deal with Anxiety?

No Tattoos for anxiety can completely directly stop the feelings of worry or fear but they can help the wearer to feel more powerful and empowered increasing feelings of self-control. When you feel more in control over your anxiety it is possible to turn down the feelings by thinking about things in a different way.

Tattoos are incredibly personal however so what may be meaningful for one person to may not have the same impact on another. When you are looking for a tattoo to help with your anxiety you need to find a symbol, picture or message that resonates with you. You also want something that you believe will stand the test of time. Remember that what you may be looking at now may not have the same appeal in ten or twenty years time.

What Tattoo Symbolizes Anxiety?

There is no one tattoo that symbolizes anxiety but there are however a number of designs and pictures that seem to recur. When it comes to phrases for example many people have simple words placed on their body. Some of the most popular include:

Calm
Breathe
Peace

Inhale/Exhale
Relax
Mind/Matter

These words are clearly designed to lower feelings of anxiety however there is another branch of tattoos for anxiety that use empowering words to help including:

Courage
Fearless

Warrior
Strength

These words suggest that the person with the tattoo is winning the fight against anxiety through their mental resilience.

Anxiety Semicolon Tattoo Meaning

In addition to words of calm or empowering phrases, you may also come across people who have a semicolon tattoo. These tattoos for anxiety have actually come to represent mental health awareness. They originated with Project Semicolon which was a non-profit organization that focused on raising suicide awareness.

To show solidarity with people suffering from a mental illness people were asked to tattoo a semicolon on themselves. The idea of the semicolon was that it is a symbol of when an author could choose to end their sentence but chose to continue. This symbolism is that you are choosing to continue with your life.

The semicolon tattoos are often found either as a standalone symbol or incorporated into another design. Selena Gomez and the cast of 13 Reasons Why all got this tattoo after filming.

Anxiety Symbol Tattoos

We have already talked about words and phrases that are used in anxiety tattoos but there are also images and symbols that are recurring as well. A phoenix rising from the flames for example is a great example of how people believe they have overcome adversity to rise once again.

There are also many people who have a lotus flower tattoo as this symbolizes peace, harmony and the ability to overcome problems in life. Sometimes the lotus flower appears as a minimalist picture or as part of an elaborate design.

Of course, you don’t have to go with the obvious designs and you can come up with something that is more meaningful to you. We love this simple “North” design that shows you to keep going in the right direction.

Anxiety Serotonin Tattoos

It is also worth making a special mention about anxiety serotonin tattoos which appear to be popping up everywhere. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that can impact our moods. Many people get tattoos for anxiety showing the formula for serotonin to show that they are looking to be happy. So the tattoo is there to either help them to think of the future if they are feeling low or to keep them focused on their happiness in the present.

Interestingly some people have chosen to discard the original formula symbols and replace them with pictures of flowers but in the same chemical pattern. This adds a new element to the design that changes it from the norm. Some of these patterns can be incredibly elaborate.

Anxiety Monster Tattoo

For some people, anxiety is visualized as a monster or beast that is controlling their thoughts. In fact, some artists such as Toby Allen have created an illustration that is supposed to depict what this monster is supposed to look like.

Whilst the Toby Allen tattoo is incredibly popular who is to say what an anxiety monster tattoo should look like. You can decide to choose your own interpretation of how an anxiety monster should look. Whilst some people may choose to make them look scary or menacing we like the idea of a cuddly monster.

The reality is that anxiety is not there to hurt you but to help you. That part of your subconscious mind wants to keep you away from danger. It isn’t a menace but an important part of your mind that is on a mission to protect you. The only problem is that it has got a bit carried away with keeping you safe. Making friends with your anxiety can go a long way to controlling it.

Mental Health Tattoo

The great thing about tattoos for anxiety is that they show that people are far more open about discussing their anxiety and mental health issues. Taboo subjects are now being moved into the mainstream so that the stigma attached to mental health issues is being removed.

We know that a large percentage of the population will suffer from some form of mental health issue in their lifetime but until relatively recently these facts were hidden. Now everyone from royalty to Hollywood stars is open about their struggles with anxiety and depression allowing more people in the general population to admit to their problem.

Other Ways to Manage Anxieties

Whilst tattoos for anxiety can be incredibly helpful for some people they should never be used as the only treatment for the condition. There are plenty of other natural anxiety remedies that can be used to change how you feel. Anxiety therapy is definitely something that you should consider as it is tailored to you and allows you time to explore your feelings and why you may be having problems. When you are able to understand and rationalise your feelings it can make a big difference in how you feel. We run online therapy programs for anxiety which you get information about by sending us a message using our online form.

If you would like to use some self-help methods we have an online anxiety course for you to use consisting of videos and downloads to help you change how you feel. Our self-hypnosis downloads can also be bought as a standalone product to help create feelings of deep calm. Finally, we have our anxiety tracker printables which are a great tool to help you identify your triggers so that you can create meaningful change. Awareness of what is triggering your problem can make a big shift in the way you deal with things in the future.

Get The PDF