“What does your tattoo say?”
I looked up at the customer, who was staring at the upside down cursive on my wrist as I handed him his change.
“Breathe,” I replied.
The man began to laugh. He took the pennies from my open palm and promptly shoved them in his front pocket, ignoring the tip jar.
“Do you also have reminders to ‘eat’ and ‘sleep’ somewhere?” he asked, continuing to chuckle.
I smiled politely as he walked away towards the pick-up counter. If he was going to criticize my tattoo, he could’ve at least been original. Or funny.
While no one has made any wisecracks remarks about my tattoo – to my face – since that day, I still get asked a lot why I chose to get the word “breathe” permanently inked on my wrist.
I got my second tattoo done on my seventeenth birthday. It sums up my mental health journey in one perfect word. When my anxiety threatens to destroy me, when life gets too overwhelming, I remind myself to just breathe. Deep breathing is a proven effective way to calm yourself down, and it has helped me cope with stress many times. Breathing keeps me grounded, centered, and capable of dealing with the present.
Additionally, it makes me think of the Anna Nalick song of the same name. I didn’t choose the tattoo because of that song, but the lyrics resonate with me on such a deep level that I have to include it as another meaning for the ink. If you haven’t heard it, it’s a beautiful song about moving on from past mistakes, because you can’t change what has happened.
“What does your tattoo say?”
I looked up at the customer, who was staring at the upside down cursive on my wrist as I handed him his change.
“Breathe,” I replied.
The man began to laugh. He took the pennies from my open palm and promptly shoved them in his front pocket, ignoring the tip jar.
“Do you also have reminders to ‘eat’ and ‘sleep’ somewhere?” he asked, continuing to chuckle.
I smiled politely as he walked away towards the pick-up counter. If he was going to criticize my tattoo, he could’ve at least been original. Or funny.
While no one has made any wisecracks remarks about my tattoo – to my face – since that day, I still get asked a lot why I chose to get the word “breathe” permanently inked on my wrist.
I got my second tattoo done on my seventeenth birthday. It sums up my mental health journey in one perfect word. When my anxiety threatens to destroy me, when life gets too overwhelming, I remind myself to just breathe. Deep breathing is a proven effective way to calm yourself down, and it has helped me cope with stress many times. Breathing keeps me grounded, centered, and capable of dealing with the present.
Additionally, it makes me think of the Anna Nalick song of the same name. I didn’t choose the tattoo because of that song, but the lyrics resonate with me on such a deep level that I have to include it as another meaning for the ink. If you haven’t heard it, it’s a beautiful song about moving on from past mistakes, because you can’t change what has happened.
I look forward to getting more tattoos in the future, and will be sure to post updates about what they mean to me. Whether you chose a tattoo for its meaning or its aesthetic qualities, be proud of your ink, and show it off to the world!
I look forward to getting more tattoos in the future, and will be sure to post updates about what they mean to me. Whether you chose a tattoo for its meaning or its aesthetic qualities, be proud of your ink, and show it off to the world!