My Semicolon Tattoo.
So I have a couple of tattoos. I haven’t always been the tattoo type - I started off with a ton of piercings. But since I’ve pretty much pierced everything I could (some I’ve taken out, some have stayed), I’m going in the direction of tattoos now. I know they obviously last longer, which is why I know that I need to really research and look into things before I get permanently inked.
A major part of my life and passion is devoted to mental health - sufferers (as myself), treatment, and overall study of it intrigues the hell out of me. So one of the tattoos I’ve for a while was the semicolon tattoo. Dictionary.com explains its meaning best:
A semicolon tattoo is a tattoo of the semicolon punctuation mark (;) used as a message of affirmation and solidarity against suicide, depression, addiction, and other mental health issues.
(Credit: dictionary.com)
Through my years of suffering from depression, I am no stranger to suicidal thoughts and attempts. I’m happy to say I am in a much better place in my life, and those thoughts no longer linger in my head. However, and unfortunately, there are millions of people everyday who deal with the traumatic thoughts of going to the point of no return. I feel for these people, and always hope that something - even the smallest thing, will make them think twice and see that there are better ways to cope with the negative feelings they have.
In honor of that, I decided to get this symbol tattooed on me. I have three tattoos, and this is quite honestly my favorite of them all (and the smallest). It’s on my left thumb for a reason - I’m left handed and whenever I do most things (like writing), I always have it in view. It reminds me of what I’ve overcome, and shows my support for people who still need help with the issue, as well as other survivors such as myself.