30+ Meaningful Anxiety Tattoos That Illustrate the Invisible Struggle

Why do people get anxiety tattoos? Anxiety is your body’s natural response to pressure and stress. It’s a feeling of distress or trepidation about events to come. Stressful times like the first day of school, giving a speech, or going to a job interview can cause people to feel fearful and nervous. Everyone experiences anxiety, but some live with it daily and suffer from anxiety disorders, most commonly generalized anxiety disorder. It’s an invisible threat that can be expressed through the art of tattooing.

Other examples of anxiety disorders include panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. These are very serious and can make it nearly impossible for an individual to carry out their daily routines. For many folks, a helpful practice is to get a tattoo that shares their emotions about anxiety. These designs include all sorts of subject matter ranging from humorous to serious. We all process experiences differently so it should come as no surprise that people have many different ways of expressing their struggles with anxiety. We took a deep dive into mental health tattoos that specifically deal with anxiety. Below you will find some truly inspired designs!

Get Inspired by These Marvelous Anxiety Tattoos!

Chaos In the Brain

One of the most common anxiety tattoos employs some squiggles to illustrate the chaos inside a person who is experiencing stress. These kinds of tattoos are perfect for someone who want something artsy, while still having something that relates to their own situation. This tattoo is stunning! You could do something similar if you want to be in good company.

In the Moment

“Here, now” are the two words that act as a reminder to stay in the moment and not worry about the future. Think of other phrases that help calm you for your own tattoo. In simple terms, this tattoo reminds its owner that sometimes, the future makes us worry more than we should and we should remember to be present.

A Scene

In this truly inspired tattoo, we find a lot of imagery used to express the feeling of anxiety. If you want something a touch more abstract, consider something similar for your design. However, all the different elements in this tattoo still come together in a cohesive design. This tattoo is beautiful! Can you see yourself getting a tattoo like this?

In a Semicolon

Semicolon tattoos are very popular among people with mental illness as it’s a symbol of solidarity and perseverance. If you want to let others know that they are not alone, consider anxiety tattoos that fit in a semicolon. This tattoo becomes a reminder and symbol of mental health, and that no matter what. It’s not bad to keep on fighting. 

Turn It Off

“Sometimes to stay alive you got to kill your mind,” this neo-traditional tattoo says. If you’ve ever experienced anxiety, the knife in the brain should feel familiar. This tattoo is actually a quote from a song by Twenty-One Pilots, but the tattoo’s design is definitely an original either by the tattoo artist or the person who got the tattoo. Amazing!

“Parasite”

The person with this tattoo captioned it “parasite.” For your anxiety tattoos, consider how you characterize your anxiety for unique designs that express the singular emotion you’re feeling. This tattoo conveys the idea that your anxiety is feeding off of you. Taking all of your energy and using it in a way that isn’t very beneficial to you at all. 

It Takes Hold

In one of the most evocative anxiety tattoos on this list, we find hands wrapped around the neck. They symbolize the way anxiety can physically take your breath away.  This tattoo is a mix of several hands and cut-off faces, but that doesn’t stop this from being a reminder of how anxiety can hold you back. What do you think?

Liberation

People suffering from anxiety often feel trapped in the prison of their own mind’s making. In this tattoo, we find links of a chain broken to express that idea. Those metaphorical chains being broken free you from your darker thoughts and allow you to see the lighter side of every situation, instead of focusing on all of the worse parts.

The Social Kind

So many folks experience social anxiety that makes everyday tasks like going to the grocery store feel like they’re being watched. It’s a creeping sort of paranoia that this tattoo beautifully explores. This tattoo looks like something straight out of a storybook, and we can’t help but appreciate how it captures the vibe of how social anxiety makes us feel.

Beneath the Surface

You will not recognize most people with anxiety as it’s, for the most part, an invisible disorder. This tattoo shows what lurks beneath the surface of what appears to be calmness. If you know about it, you know it’s not pretty. It can sneak up on you at the worst of times, and sometimes, we’re not always prepared for it.

In the Eyes

In one of the most offbeat anxiety tattoos on this list, we find a pair of eyes that seem to express desperation and sadness. In case that was not clear, the artist has included the word “anxiety” underneath it. These eyes can represent the fact that anxiety will always have you on the lookout for something to go very wrong.

Truth

“Parties make me anxious in a real broad sense,” are words many people with social anxiety can relate to. A cartoon-style tattoo might be the perfect way for you to share how anxiety makes you feel. We can’t even begin to explain how these types of situations can quickly turn sour for people with anxiety. Anxiety makes small things huge!

“Worry Heart”

The person who shared this image referred to the tattoo as a “worry heart.” Somehow, this heart with an eye and teeth both delights and frightens as it is so creepy yet cool. Work with an artist you trust for original anxiety tattoo designs like this one. This tattoo has such a strong concept and holds a lot of meaning.

Right to the Point

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel for your anxiety tattoos. You can get straight to the point by getting the word tattooed in an interesting font. This tattoo is pretty simple and straightforward. Its bold black likes imitate lightning and spell out the word anxiety. It’s a cool minimally designed tattoo that works just as well as any other.

RELATED: 25 Anxiety Tattoos That Want You to Take a Breath

To Quiet the Mind

Here’s a fun one that expresses how difficult it is to quiet the anxious mind. It likely feels familiar to anyone who is experiencing a great deal of overthinking and worry. We can’t even begin to imagine how many people with anxiety wish they could just take out their brain when it all starts to get a little too much.

Alienation

Most people who suffer from anxiety do so alone. It’s an extremely alienating experience that is expressed well in the above tattoo. That feeling of being alone can sink you into a hole deeper than the one you were already in before. It’s part of what makes the experience so harrowing. Feeling as though there’s no one to talk to.

Don’t Give Up

“Anxious but still trying,” are words we imagine most folks with anxiety can relate to. It’s the trying part that matters most. The tattoo seems to warp and twist might represent how when you’re dealing with anxiety, nothing seems certain. Everything always feels like it can go one way or another and people with anxiety can’t help but be worried.

Illusive Calmness

Anxiety can keep you up all night with racing feelings that you simply can’t calm. If you experience sleepless nights thanks to your anxiety, consider anxiety tattoos that share your struggle. These tattoos might serve as a way to remind you that no matter what the circumstance, you aren’t alone. It might seem like it, but there are people who care.

Put a Face to It

This tattoo looks similar to the last due to the big, thick lines used to create them. We find thorns employed to express the pain of anxiety which is a refreshing choice.

“What If?”

This tattoo looks similar to the last due to the big, thick lines used to create them. We find thorns employed to express the pain of anxiety which is a refreshing choice. This tattoo is definitely for someone who wants to add a little more edge to their tattoo, while still giving an authentic representation of their own anxiety.

Head & Heart

In one of our favorite anxiety tattoos on this list, we find a stormy head sitting above a brain that’s shaped like a heart. It seems to convey the illogical nature of anxiety. This tattoo definitely a more fantastical take on how anxiety can feel to those who might have it. This tattoo is for those who prefer the fantasy.

Tangled

“Go easy on yourself. Whatever you do today, let it be enough,” the person who shared this image captioned it. It’s a great quote that many of us should take to heart. This tattoo of a brain looks like a ball of yarn and it shows how our minds can become tangled and messy. That doesn’t mean you come undone.

Disconnect

In this original design, we find a head disconnected from the body. It’s super stylish and unlike any other of the anxiety tattoos on this list. The design of this tattoo is very graphic, almost like it belongs on a comic book cover. And of course, there are hidden details in this tattoo that totally take it over the edge.

Gentle Reminder

Words of encouragement are aplenty among anxiety tattoos and one of the most common that we encountered was the word “breathe.” It’s a gentle reminder to take a moment and collect your thoughts and then release them with an exhale. This tattoo could come in handy as a gentle reminder when people might need some time to catch their breath.

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The Maze

Cutting through the noise in the mind that anxiety creates can feel like you’re trying to escape a maze. We find that illustrated perfectly in this design that replaces a brain with a circular maze. It’s pretty fortunate that this maze happens to have an exit, that way you can find your way out when you need to get out.

Find Hope

“Always find the light,” this beautiful butterfly tattoo says. It’s an excellent sentiment and a reminder for all of us to do our best to find the positives in each day. This black and white butterfly is beautifully designed and serves as a gentle reminder there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. Just find it!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

We find a raincloud used to show the pain that anxiety causes. However, we find hope symbolized by the rainbow that the rain brings. This tattoo is definitely for those who want something a little more whimsical. It’s a cute little reminder that things aren’t always dark and cloudy, but it is definitely a nice little reminder that happiness comes.

A Beautiful Mess

1. Here’s another raincloud tattoo that finds an exploding head and a torso that’s trapped by a mysterious red element. It’s one of the few anxiety tattoos that use the watercolor effect to tell its story. This tattoo is beautiful and slightly more abstract, but that doesn’t take away the meaning it is meant to convey. The sense of not knowing.

Let Me Overthink This

This is one of our favorite anxiety tattoos on the list. While we’ve seen variations of this sort of thing already, this is one of the best executions. How cool is that reveal to the maze inside? For those suffering from anxiety, you know that this tattoo looks exactly how things feel. A smile can hide so much behind it.

Anxi; Tea

Here’s something different. Someone had a one-of-a-kind idea when it comes to this anxiety tattoo. A teabag has been employed here to work as a visual pun but in case that wasn’t clear, there is a tag on the bag that reads, “anxi; tea.” The placement of the semicolon is definitely one of the more uniques ones that we’ve seen.

Saint Dymphna

“Saint Dymphna aka the patron saint of mental health and anxiety; their rosy cheeks remind us to remain warm to one another,” the person who shared this image wrote alongside it. It’s one of the most stunning anxiety tattoos on this list that’s made even more meaningful when you know the story behind it. Is this the tattoo for you?

Fidget Spinning

Meet the first fidget spinner tattoo we’ve ever seen. This portrait of the fidget device is complete with a little banner that says “anxiety” as well as some floral elements that help fill it out. If you have an object that helps symbolize your anxiety, it’s a great candidate for a tattoo! Would you be down to get this tattoo?

Anxiety Visualized

“This beloved client asked me to draw her a sketch that would symbolize her past mental struggle, what a privilege you have chosen me for this tattoo!” the artist who shared this image explained. What a touching and poignant design that’s as beautiful as it is dark and moody. There’s just something about artists who can capture a client’s vision.

An Unstable Feeling

Have you ever seen a better visual metaphor for anxiety than this teetering chair with rocks stacked precariously on top? Take a closer look and you’ll find a small human figure balancing on top of the rocks. For those who struggle with feeling stable and in control, this is one of the anxiety tattoos that really delivers on it’s meaning.

Holding On

Wow! While this might not be the most cheerful tattoo, it does beautifully express the feeling of anguish and disassociation that can occur when we’re in the throes of anxious thoughts. This has to be one of our favorite anxiety tattoos on the list because it is so singular in style and has bold, clean lines. This tattoo is amazing!

It’s Real

“Anxiety is real,” this tattoo advises. Why yes, it is! People who don’t have an anxiety disorder or who do not experience anxiety in a debilitating fashion, might not fully comprehend how difficult it can be. This anxiety tattoo just gets right to the point and raises awareness around the condition to let other people know that they’re not alone.

No Shame

“No shame in the medicine game,” this tattoo encourages. That’s right! For many, medication is the only place to turn for relief and there should be no negative stigma around that fact. We love the pride showcased in this design and the solidarity it brings to those who are medicated for their anxiety. This tattoo could make a huge impact!

Not the Fun Kind of Party

“Panic party,” this bold tattoo says. The strand of DNA was an interesting choice and something we did not see often when researching these anxiety tattoos. It’s made complete with a couple of cute flowers and some nice star elements. While this tattoo might be slightly ironic, we applaud the originality. Because sometimes it’s just in your DNA, isn’t it?

Every Waking Moment

We find a teary eye with the word anxiety inside to let viewers know that it’s the cause of discomfort. This offbeat design is one of our favorites on this list and it proves that a simple tattoo with a good concept can be much more appealing than more complicated ones. Sometimes simple and right to the point wins it.

Calming the Mind

We find our second knife through the brain tattoo in this design that includes the words “stop thinking.” Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just flip a switch to turn our anxiety off? Until that’s invented, tattoos will do! They’re a great way to make you stand out, and they also have the added bonus of being cool.

There you go! We hope you feel inspired by these anxiety tattoos that raise awareness and show solidarity for others who might also be suffering. Anxiety is a constant for so many people and removing the stigma around it and expressing yourself through the art of tattooing is an excellent step. If you’re still looking for more anxiety and mental health tattoos, keep scrolling for even more great ideas!

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Reaching

Hands reaching out amongst scarred skin and barbed wires show exactly how it can feel to be trapped inside your own mind. It’s a call for help that very few can hear clearly, and this tattoo is a visualization of that pain. It provides a small glimpse into the mind of someone suffering in silence, desperately wanting to be free.

Keep On

“Always Keep fighting.” A strong reminder backed by a gentle floral design that fills its owner with strength in times of need. It tells them to keep going because they’ve gotten as far as they have already and they are undoubtedly able to go further. Its message, just like the tattoo itself, is simple but beautiful, and keeps you going.

“This Is Fine”

There’s something oddly calming about accepting the circumstances that you find yourself in, whether it be in a burning building, or watching a plan unfold horribly and going with the punches. “This is fine,” You say as you watch the world crumble around you and yet you keep on going. Because life is sometimes hell, but sometimes, hell is fine.

Depression & Confusion

Sometimes our mental health pulls us in directions that we can’t exactly predict,  It can leave us dazed, confused, and make us feel as if we don’t understand anything. This tattoo represents that lost feeling that often comes with depression. It’s simple, yet, it speaks volumes for those who know to listen. This simple tattoo easily conveys a huge message.

Semicolon Butterfly

This piece, in all its elegance, hopes to serve as a symbol of mental illness awareness  With a technique used to emulate watercolor you’ll find, that this tattoo is packed full of meaning, and serves as a reminder for those who have struggled with their own mental illness as well as others. Like butterflies, it is all about the journey.

Beauty from Pain

Once again, we can see how even in the darkest times, light and hope can prevail.  In this tattoo, specifically about depression,  an explosion of light,  color, and beauty breaks free from an otherwise colorless scene. It’s about finding hope when things seem to be at their darkest, and knowing that, despite what happens,  it’s always darkest before the dawn.

Serotonin

Serotonin, the chemical that makes us feel happy, and an imbalance of that very same chemical can make us feel the exact opposite.  Backed by bright bursts of colors, the chemical composition of serotonin makes this tattoo a reminder of both the good and the bad that comes with the ebb and flow of this chemical’s levels in your body.

Split

This tattoo is, once again, a simple one. A head dissected by a grid of wires. Maybe it marks the disconnect between what the face shows and what the brain feels. A disconnect that someone feels with themself because of their mental illness. Either way, it’s is a testament to how depression can affect us and how we view ourselves.

“Tearwork”

This tattoo shows a stream of tears becoming a bouquet of eye-shaped flowers. and the person producing them holds the flowers close to them. It could be indicative of how people with mental health issues often don’t want to let their problems spill out into real life, into other people’s lives. Or perhaps, something beautiful comes from the pain.

“Everything’s Fine”

This tattoo is yet another example of being calm in the face of disaster, and this tattoo shows a hand sinking underneath the waves with a ship in the distance. this tattoo speaks to how depression and anxiety can overwhelm you, how they can make you feel as though you’re drowning and yet you still manage to underplay them.

A Portrait

This tattoo is meant to represent depression. In a way that shows both the feeling of weightlessness that depression can give you but also show how it can all come crashing down. It’s a tricky situation, and the scales can tip to either side of good or bad at a moment’s notice. This tattoo is both a warning and hope.

It’s Okay

This tattoo is both beautiful and slightly abstract. It marries contemporary ideas with traditional tattoo styles that scream the message, “it’s okay to now be okay all the time.” With tears streaming down her face, and a small version of her sits in her hair covering her face with her hands. The message is oddly optimistic, but overall, still welcomed.

A Familiar Feeling

Clean lines and a simple frame of a face, once again accompanied by a squiggly line in the place of a brain. This tattoo is meant to show how disorienting depression and anxiety and depression can feel,  and the mixture of these emotions can make you feel as if you’re being pulled in every direction all at the same time.

More Semicolon

This tattoo is simple and clean, an arrow that incorporates the semicolon once again as a symbol of mental health awareness. It’s straightforward, geometric, and all together, very pleasing to the eye. It’s a reminder to keep going forward, fast and strong, much like an arrow. Above everything though, this tattoo represents a fight that continues no matter what.

Break Free

This tattoo represents the moment a person decides to break free from the chains of depression and their own emotions. It’s a tattoo that brings strength to those who bear it, and its straightforward message is backed by a bold image of chains breaking between resolute hands. It’s bold, brave and altogether it’s a fight that never ends for some.

Trapped

This tattoo once again alludes to feelings of entrapment, personified by a frog trapped in a jar with nothing but a few leaves and a stick. It’s dismal, just what the tattoo is meant to represent, a sense of depression and of being trapped in one’s own mind without hope of being set free. It’s a common experience for some.

Anxiety

This tattoo conveys a double meaning much deeper than either of its symbols divided. It incorporates the semicolon, which is a sign of mental health awareness as well as a  lotus flower, which is a form of rising up and pushing through. Together they pull together the meaning of persevering despite what trouble your own mind is putting you through.

Moving

This tattoo lets you know that it’s totally okay to cry, its unique and symmetrical design that shows a woman crying enough tears that they become a river. This tattoo is one that means relief is sometimes on the end of something that might not be favorable, but you still need to do it because it absolutely helps you out.

“I Am Enough”

This tattoo brings with it a sense of healing. Patching over something scarred with something beautiful. “I am enough.” Three simple words that can be difficult for some people to say to themselves, but when they are finally able to, it means that they can begin their journey of healing.

Medication

This tattoo is a representation of a complicated relationship between people with anxiety and depression, and the meds they take to help manage their symptoms. On one side, a face streamed with tears and hollow eyes, on the other side one that’s perfectly fine. It showcases the duality of both human emotion, and what the meds can make someone feel.

Beauty Grows

This tattoo is another reminder that beauty can come from pain. This traditionally styled tattoo is a reminder that after all you’ve gone through, you can still come out of the other side of it as beautiful as ever. It’s about knowing that your journey, including all the bad parts, isn’t just the ugly because you still come out beautiful.

A Beautifully Broken Brain

This tattoo is a reminder to take care of yourself, in all aspects. The flowers that form the right side of the brain are beautiful, bright, and fully alive. A sure sign that someone has been tending to them. Them being half of a brain is a sure way to connect the effort it takes to take care of both.

Keep Going

This tattoo is another reminder to keep going. With the semicolon incorporated into the word continue, this tattoo is simple and clean and It is a minder to persevere when things don’t look like they are ever going to be good again, and that means the world to someone who is struggling to hold on. It’s a symbol of survival.

“Anxiety Art”

This tattoo is one for anxiety, it shows how anxiety can always have you checking behind your back for something that might go wrong. It’s that feeling of always being on edge even when you know that there probably isn’t a reason for you to be and that anxiety affects you in the long run and that can’t be forgotten.

Worthy

This tattoo is a simple reminder that you are worthy no matter what has been told to you otherwise. It’s a simple, clean-lined tattoo with a simple message, you are worthy. It’s a message that can sometimes be lost when your mental health takes a turn for the worst. This reminds us that no matter what, we’re all worthy.

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Locked In a Box

This tattoo is done in a traditional style and is meant to represent that feeling of being trapped by your mental illness. It features a head trapped in a box with the tops opened slightly and chains wrapped all around it. It’s a visual representation of the pain through the eye of someone who might be suffering through it every day.

Take Care

This tattoo reminds us to do something that might slip our minds all the time. Self-care is an important part of day-to-day life, especially when things begin to pile up more and more, and sometimes caring for yourself is the first thing to leave our mind when so many projectiles are coming at us from every direction.

Happy Pills

This tattoo wants you to know that prioritizing your mental health is important. With its bright colors and bold aesthetic, this tattoo is appealing to the eye and gives a nice message. Take care of yourself because it’s very important and it matters tremendously. This tattoo is a reminder to everyone who comes to see, read, and experience it.

Tied Up

This tattoo represents a person’s battle against themselves, It features a girl wrapped up in her own braid. This symbol of mental; illness shows how people can become wrapped up in themselves and their own problems, and how that might keep a person stuck in one place. Mental illness can feel like it’s trapped you in a shell of yourself.

It’s Okay to Cry

“It’s okay to cry.” A sentiment once again portrayed in a beautiful way. Providing whoever sees it with a gentle reminder that the tears don’t mean you lost, they’re just another step in your journey. And knowing this information can help you make it to every other step that you need to take. It’s a sign to keep going strong.

Heavy

Mental illness can make us feel unbalanced, when our thoughts make us feel heavier than they should it’s like walking through this world with an unbalanced scale tipping us one way or another. This tattoo helps us see how heavy that burden can be, and how it can weigh us down in the long run. And that can change us.

Know Your Worth

These two tattoos offer a strong message of survival and empathy for yourself. They feature self-doubt on a tombstone and I am worthy written out on a scroll.  Both of these messages want you to be kind to yourself on your journey of healing, but that is one of the most important things that you can do when learning.

Remember to Breathe

This tattoo wants to remind you to take things slow from time to time. Breath in and breath out. It is necessary to remember that sometimes little things like this matter because big things can become overwhelming fast and sometimes taking the time to breathe, is exactly what you need to get through it and still hold on to reality.

A Sense of Humor

This tattoo gives its own humorous outlook on mental health.  “Defective. Do not shake.” The tag asks of those who see it. It is a reminder that even though your brain might hold a few flaws in its design, there is still something to be had in taking care of it. No matter how many pieces it may be in.

Feeling Off

This tattoo displays the disorienting nature of mental illness and how it can make you and your brain feel as though it’s been turned upside down and inside out. An upside-down face of a head is a visual representation of what mental illness can do to you on a regular day and how it can jumble up your understanding.

Midsommar

This Midsomer tattoo depicts Dani, the film’s main character, portrayed wearing a flower crown and having tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. One of the films recurring themes is Mental Illness, which might be why this pop culture tattoo might have been important for the person who got it. Either way, this tattoo is very important to its owner.

Falling

This tattoo, being used to describe a sense of forever falling could be alluding to how mental health can make you feel sometimes. Forever falling deeper and deeper to your mind as dark thoughts invade your own and make you feel as though there’s no solution. It’s a captivating tattoo about how mental illness can trap you without an escape.

In Your Head

This tattoo is a reminder that sometimes their own mind can distort things around you and make situations out to be worse than they really are. It speaks to how depression and anxiety can make you see the world as something to be afraid of, or make it seem like there’s no hope when it could be all around you.

Feeling Thorny

This tattoo is definitely more abstract than any of the previous ones on this list. It could be used to symbolize how mental illness can turn your own thoughts into thorns that poke and hurt you. It could also be hinting at how sometimes when you’re hurt, you put up thorny walls to keep people out and keep yourself safe.

Surreal

This tattoo is intricately designed and leans into the surrealness that can sometimes be accompanied by how mental health can feel sometimes. This piece is filled with symbolism and makes you think about what the person who git it was going through at the time that they got the tattoo. All in all, it’s beautiful, and evokes strong emotions outright.

Not Going to Happen

This tattoo is a reminder to be strong in the face of anything that’s trying to drag you down. Refusing to sink, and choosing to do what is best for you and your health is one of the best things that you can do on your journey of healing. This tattoo can be a sign of better things to come.

Swinging

This compares mood swings to a lightning storm on a rainy day. With a bold and fun design, this tattoo shows that even something fun can still be painted in a negative light when mental illness comes into play. However, it also might be a tattoo about accepting a part of yourself that you sometimes can’t really help or hide.

A Mask

This tattoo uses the concept of a mask to show that the effects of mental illness are sometimes invisible to other people. It can also be used as a metaphor for how masking is something that people do so that the symptoms of mental illness aren’t as noticeable to people who might antagonize them for behaviors they can not control.

Raining

This tattoo uses rain as a symbol of sadness and depression. The rain is focused primarily on the open palm of a monstrous hand, inside of which a few flowers are beginning to grow. The flowers almost seem to be an afterthought, though conveying the idea that even when we might not look for something to grow, it still happens.

Amazing Semicolon

This tattoo once again uses the semicolon symbol. This time it features gorgeous ornamentation inside the shapes and beautifully intricate patterns while still conveying the deep meaning that the semicolon holds. All in all, it is a beautiful tattoo meant to make you think about those people that might be struggling at times when it might seem like they’re not.

Three, Simple Words

This tattoo is a simple one that lets those who see it know that they are perfect just the way they are and that there is nothing that they need to do to justify their existence. It’s a message of perseverance and self-worth and this tattoo is to remind people that you’re fine just as you are. No questions.

A Green Ribbon

Both a semicolon and a green ribbon, are two common symbols of mental health awareness. These two together serve as a strong reminder to consider those who suffer from any number of mental health issues. Both of these tattoos are fairly simple, but still hold a lot of significance to those who see it and can still resonate with its message.

Step by Step

This tattoo lets you know that it’s okay to take some things slowly. One step at a time is all you need to reach your destination, whether it’s on a journey of healing, or just to make it through the day. All you need to do is take it step-by-step and eventually you’ll make it to your destination.

Bee Kind

“Bee kind,” is a cute little pun to remind you to be kind to yourself. This tattoo also incorporates the semicolon symbol, and as such, this tattoo holds more than one meaning. Be kind to yourself, and also keep in mind those people who are struggling with mental illness, people who may or may not be just like you. It’s kind.

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Take Your Meds

This final tattoo is both cute and relevant to those who are in the process of healing. Little hearts of love fill up a pill bottle like its medicine. It’s a reminder that sometimes things get better in small doses. But there is also a lot to be said about how likening it to medicine could also be something unappealing.

There you go! We hope you feel inspired by these mental health tattoos that raise awareness of depression and anxiety. Mental illness carries such a stigma in our society and these tattoos help to curb that sort of thinking by showing solidarity and fostering hope. If you’ve struggled with mental health issues, tattoos that help you and others remember to stay in the fight are powerful symbols. Share your story with your very own ink!