Mental health tattoos are specialized and strong symbols that depict the individual’s personal experience in mental health struggles. In addition, they are also the true representation of inner strength, hope, resilience, and mental empowerment. Mental health tattoo designs are picturized in varied ways, such as butterflies, green ribbons, anchors, serotonin tattoo, and lotus flower etc. Making a mental health tattoo design on the body is considered the best way to express the inner mental state, explain a deeper meaning, fight stigma associated with mental health, and spread awareness for mental stability.
This article gives an insight into the most popular, artistic and personalized mental health tattoo ideas. After reading this article, you will better understand what is the significance of symbolic tattoos and how they make a difference in the lives of individuals.
Key Takeaways
Mental health tattoos act as a sign of inner potential, hope, and mental resilience. Most renowned mental health tattoos include semicolons, green ribbons, butterflies, etc.
Each specific mental condition has its own unique and innovative tattoo, which shows the individual meaning in terms of a person’s mental health struggles and entire journey, as well as the strength or intensity of that condition.
Before getting a tattoo from a professional tattoo artist, consider the design, placement of the tattoo to better show your personal experience in the form of a creative or aesthetic tattoo design.
Emerging Trend of Mental Health Tattoo Ideas
Mental health tattoos are not just eye-catching designs, there is always a deep meaning that is present beyond the ink on skin. In addition, the trend of mental health tattoos is growing rapidly. By getting a mental health tattoo on any part of your body, you make a representation of your inner self. In the past, tattoos were mainly linked with taboos, but now it is rapidly vanishing, and a large number of individuals are using mental health tattoo ideas to show their mental strength, serenity, resilience, support to affected individuals, and also mental health awareness. Lotus flower, butterfly, anchor, semicolon, etc., are the top mental health tattoo design ideas that exhibit self-expression.
Significance and benefits of Mental health tattoos
Mental health tattoo ideas present multiple benefits, which include:
- Increasing awareness
- Better self-expression
- Visual reminder of strength, resilience, and motivation
- Trauma and healing processing
- Self-acceptance & positivity
- Developing connection
- Confidence & mental empowerment
Top & Popular Mental Health Tattoo Symbols
Major mental health tattoo ideas or designs are as follows:
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Semicolon
Semicolon tattoo is not just a symbol, it’s an indication to continue or move forward, or showing self-love or concern despite overwhelming mental health struggles. In writing, a semicolon is used by writers who could end the sentence but prefer to continue the sentence by putting this symbol. In the same way, a semicolon tattoo is very popular in the mental health community as it shows that, whatever the difficulty, it is better to always look ahead and fight the mental health challenges.
Many individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, etc., make the semicolon tattoo on their bodies just to show that they have planned to continue their journey of recovery from mental health issues. Several celebrities have used this semicolon tattoo design to show their support for the semicolon, suicide prevention, and other projects of numerous mental health organizations.
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Lotus flower
The lotus flower tattoo is also renowned for having a deep meaning for those individuals who are bravely struggling with mental health challenges. Tattoos of flowers are evergreen, refreshing, shining, and always in trend. Each flower has a separate meaning in the mental health community, but the lotus flower tattoo is the one that represents mental growth, resilience, strength, and transformation in the mental health journey. Lotus flowers grow from sand and water and then bloom on the surface in different colors, such as white hues, pink, and purple. Therefore, the lotus flower is a source of inspiration and reminds individuals to never lose hope and always rely on their inner mental strength.
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Butterfly
Butterflies always grab the attention, whether they are in a living avatar or tattoo design. This pretty tattoo design is a symbol of rebirth, symbol, and mental transformation. The life journey of butterflies comprises the metamorphosis from a caterpillar to an adult larva stage. This relates to the struggling journey of individuals who are battling with any mental issue and shows that hard times also pass, and the individual becomes more mentally strong and resilient as that phase ends.
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Infinity symbol
The infinity symbol tattoo is a perfect representation of continuity, limitless possibilities, and never-ending nature. In addition, it also shows the lasting love for the inner self. This tattoo explains that irrespective of the intensity of mental health challenges, there is always a light of hope and healing. There is always a sufficient room of continuous personal development in the journey of mental health struggles.
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Seated meditator
Seated meditator is a tattoo design that has a strong connection with spirituality or any spiritual practice. Many individuals make this tattoo on their body and show a connecting link with Buddhism, and yoga etc.
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Heartbeat line
The heartbeat line tattoo is also widely used by individuals in the mental health community as it represents the ups and down and flow of life. This represents mental health struggle, resilience and transformation and also a reminder that life is a continuous journey where each individual has to pass through both good and hard times, but never lose hope for regaining the mental strength.
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Broken chain
A broken chain is also a popular and powerful tattoo idea that is linked with mental freedom. It shows the release from the bondage and any previous life traumatic situation. Individuals suffering from anxiety or depression use this tattoo idea to show their self-acceptance in the journey of mental health struggles. If a person has a tattoo design on his body, then it indicates that he or she has passed a trauma, but now breaks the chain with it and starts accepting and altering the negative thoughts.
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Anchor
The anchor tattoo idea is a representation of stability and the strength to face the mental health challenges with courage and confidence. It shows that individuals have to stay mentally strong and active to defeat mental health challenges. By making a tattoo design on their body, they show the world that they are grounded and also hopeful of regaining their mental strength and experiencing the mental transformation.
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Phoenix
Phoenix is a mental health tattoo idea that shows the phase of renewal, hope, and recovery from mental transformation. Phoenix is a mythical, immortal bird that lives for hundreds of years and then burns into a blaze of fire. After that, regrow from the ashes of fire. This indicates that an individual, after facing the mental health complexity, gets completely transformed and reborn stronger.
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Green ribbon
The green ribbon is a specialized symbol of mental health support, understanding, and awareness.
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Moth
Moth tattoo is also a symbol of light, hope, renewal and transformation. Just like butterflies, moths also experience the transformation before attaining the adult stage. Moths come out at night and then move towards the light sources. Therefore, moth tattoo design shows that individuals should always have hope and always strive for mental stability despite all mental health challenges.
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Wolf
The Wolf tattoo idea provides a clear meaning of inner mental and emotional strength. This tattoo design idea shows that individuals can extract their inner potential and navigate all the mental health challenges to achieve victory.
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Koi Fish
Koi fish tattoo design is a sign of determination throughout the journey of mental health recovery. The actual meaning of the koi fish tattoo is linked with the history of legend of the Dragon date. The story of Dragon Gate revolves around the koi fish that swim and pass through rivers, waterfalls, face multiple difficulties, and finally reach the Dragon Gate that is located at the top of the mountain, and then transform into a large, powerful dragon. With the help of this tattoo design idea, individuals show that after passing through numerous obstacles, they can rise, regain mental strength, and obtain personal mental health goals.
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Barbed Wire
Barbed wire is a single tattoo with multiple meanings such as resilience, boundary, protection. In addition, this also indicates that individuals have survived trauma or mental health challenges.
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Lavender Plant
The lavender plant represents purity, calmness, soothing effect, serenity, as well as devotion. Lavender is a plant that offers multiple benefits. It is not only used for fine aesthetics but also as a source of essential oils which provide relaxing or soothing effects.
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Serotonin Tattoo
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is responsible for inducing the sense of mental calmness and relaxation. Most of the individuals usually choose the serotonin tattoo to show their happiness and emotional stability.
Read More About: Understanding the Mental Health Recovery Symbols
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Mandalas and Geometric patterns
The mandalas and geometric patterns are not just tattoo designs, they are the specialized patterns that act as a reminder that whatever is the state of anxiousness, you always have to focus on meditation and mindfulness techniques to get rid of anxiety.
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This too shall pass
As the name indicates, this phrase’ ’this too shall pass’’ indicates that this negative phase will ultimately end or pass and the individual will get free. This tattoo is based on the belief that things never remain the same and they change with time. This affirmation is a strong reminder to never lose hope and stay consistent on your journey to mental health.
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Breathe/Inhale Exhale
Breathe/Inhale exhale is not just a simple tattoo design, it’s a reminder that whatever is the intensity of mental issues, you have to stay focused and practice mindfulness to smartly deal with anxiety or depression. People usually get this tattoo inside their finger, wrist, hand or forearm and use this reminder to focus back on the inner self and breathing.
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Overthinking head
Overthinking a head tattoo is the design that shows the complexity. In some cases, it is a face with some alterations or a head on which multiple faces are attached. Likewise, in most cases, this tattoo design also shows the wires, spirals, or a cluster coming out of the head.
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Self-harm cover-up
Those individuals who have harmed themselves at any stage of their life use the self-harm cover-up tattoo to alter their pain into positivity. Some completely cover their scars, while some prefer the text written around or within their scar or cuts.
Specific mental conditions and linked to Mental health Tattoo ideas
As each mental illness is different, there are also diverse mental health tattoo ideas that are linked with them and help in expressing emotions, struggle, recovery, and personal experience.
1. Anxiety and Depression
Both anxiety and depression tattoos are the best expression of hope and healing. Multiple tattoos are linked with anxiety and depression, such as classic butterflies. Each tattoo design perfectly represents the mental health struggles that individuals face in their life journey.
2. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD tattoos reflect the recovery and healing from a previous life traumatic situation. Some tattoo designs consist of simple wires, while some are complex and show the association with the spirituality of life.
3. Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder tattoos depict the mood fluctuation or emotional highs and lows that a bipolar individual experiences in life. In addition, these tattoos better represent the journey of struggles to deal with the emotional instability and personal growth, hardship, and resilience.
4. Eating disorders
There are also specific tattoos that are used for the eating disorder and symbolize self-acceptance by dealing with the symptoms of eating disorders.
Mental health tattoo placement regions on the body
The placement region of each mental health tattoo is greatly linked with its significance. In addition, the designs of mental health tattoos are also diverse, as some are simple while some show more complexity in terms of design. Each individual chooses the tattoo placement region depending on their personal preference. Some prefer the visible regions of the body, while some prefer the hidden areas of their body. Tattoos on evident body regions act as a reminder of personal mental growth and recovery, while the tattoos on the private regions show more personal, deep, as well as intimate messages.
The following are the common placement ideas for mental health tattoos:
1. Wrist
Tattoos on the wrist are more visible and work as a constant reminder of inner strength and resilience throughout the journey of mental health struggles. Professional tattoo artists make different tattoos in this region, including text tattoos or just symbols.
2. Forearm
Forearm presents more space for tattoos as compared to the wrist regions. In most of the cases, tattoo artists usually design the longer or bigger texts and more detailed designs. Moreover, some individuals choose this region to show their special artwork to the world.
3. Collarbone
Collarbone region is also a choice of a large number of individuals who usually prefer more detailed and stunning designs or want to make their artwork obvious to others. Large side design ideas can easily fit into this section.
4. Ankle
Ankle tattoos are of small size and usually not visible but the simple designs carry a deep meaning. In addition, this hidden spot is also renowned for the personal symbols and ideal for those who mostly have a preference of noticeable tattoos on their body.
5. Back or shoulder
The tattoo placement on the back or shoulders represents mental resilience and recovery.
6. Behind the ear
Behind the ear, most of the tattoo designs are stylish and always grab attention. The size of tattoo designs are usually small but they have a deeper meaning and these tattoos also become visible when required.
7. Inner arm or chest
Inner arm or chest is usually preferred to make those designs that have a closer link with the personal life concepts.
Top things to consider before having a Mental health Tattoo
Getting a mental health tattoo on the body is the best way to express personal experiences in the mental health journey. As each tattoo design reflects the journey of recovery, individuals should be careful in choosing mental health tattoo design ideas. The style of each tattoo is different, and also in terms of the meanings they convey in the mental health community. The smaller tattoo design shows the deeper and significant meaning, which reflects the individual journey of mental health recovery.
Before directly making a tattoo design on your body, discuss and share your preferences with the tattoo artist and explore all the famous or mindfulness tattoos and select the one that perfectly resonates with your experience in your mental health journey. Do not just think about yourself; also think about what others can perceive about your tattoo.
As there are many tattoo design ideas that the individual who is having that tattoo is the only one who can understand among others. In this case, most people usually misinterpret the tattoos, and the resulting misunderstandings also result in certain conflicts. Therefore, it is always advised to have a proper discussion with the tattoo professional to prevent any negative consequences.
The following things should be considered before getting a mental health tattoo:
Reliable tattoo parlor: The first but highly crucial step is the selection of a high reputable tattoo parlor where all the tattoo artists are professional and specialized and employ the safe ways to make tattoo design ideas. This is necessary to ensure that you are not just having the tattoo on your body, you are showing a visual that is appealing with a deep and unique meaning or concept.
Meaning of tattoo: Select only that tattoo that is truly your inner self reflection or linked with personal significance.
Placement: The placement region should also be selected with care, as some body regions exhibit more sensitivity while some are more susceptible to fading.
Embrace Mental Transformation at Renewed Mental Health Group
If you are concerned about your mental wellness and striving to experience the best mental health treatment, then we are here to help you. Here, you can find the ideal and personalized mental support to deal with common mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, OCD, and bipolar disorder, etc. We offer comprehensive mental health solutions for all individuals, including children, adolescents, and adults. Our experts use evidence-based therapeutic strategies, including psychiatric medication management and psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy.
Schedule a consultation with our experts and begin your journey of mental recovery with courage and confidence
