Welcome semicolon warriors forum! This is a space to connect, inspire, and share the significance of your tattoos ! Share your story, struggles and successes, leave a comment, and read personal stories of anxiety and depression below! Show your support with encouragement, love, inspiration, and tell me what you think about the semicolon project.
“She wants people to see the semicolon on her wrist and know that they’ll be OK at some point in the future. When people see the tattoo on others, they can realize that they’re sick but not alone or crazy. The story can always go on as the author keeps on writing. 🙆
Introducing Me. You are heroes/heroines. We are warriors.
xoxo –Kattalin
Hey :),
I felt like it was time to share my forearm piece somewhere online. The semicolon is small and up towards the top as my arm rotates. It’s a whole piece I drafted to tell my life story in a beautiful and positive way. I’ve had difficulty talking about things but have been improving steadily and the piece as a whole played a large role in my recovery. I can record another video that shows the semicolon more clearly. Stefano
I have struggled with mental illness including suicidal thoughts and ideation,after my attempt in grade 11 I promised myself that life was worth continuing.My good friend committed suicide in 2016 and I promised myself to keep living life for him.I got my semi colon tattoo 10 years after my first initial thoughts. This tattoo represents that Im still here,despite how low I feel or felt,I have kept going and will count to keep living life no matter what life throws at me.Help is out there,Im so glad I’m still here
6 weeks after learning that I would be losing my job of 23 years, my wife asked for a divorce, ending our 27 years together. Just a few weeks before, we were planning a romantic get away for our 20th anniversary. I was caught off guard and devastated. I moved in with my mother and left my life behind. I had my car, a tv, and some clothes. She had the rest of my life. With the impending job loss, I saw no future. Depression set in and the demons went to work. They won. I was going to end it on my way home from work. A coworker noticed something and sat me down to talk. I eventually asked to take my handgun before I left work. I set up an appointment with a therapist and my doctor that day. It’s been 9 months and I am on the other side. The process is working for me. I get my semicolon tattoo in two weeks. The semicolon replaces a star in the flag.
I’ve not had an easy life. Most people haven’t. I’ve suffered from extreme social anxiety since I was nine and now (20 years later) I’m still struggling. At my lowest point I couldn’t go to the store even though I had no food at home. I’ve also been in the hospital, forced to stay until I faked my happiness. I also lost two people who was very, very close to me to suicide.
This is a tattoo that I wanted to do for so many years. Today my boyfriend gave it to me as a gift. We booked the appointment and on Tuesday and forward I’m gonna be a member of the semicolon family. It’s the best gift anyone could ever give me.
Thank you so much for this project
It gives me so much hope!
Love, Diana
I’m a survivor of rape and domestic violence. I’ve had depression and anxiety for 40 years. I’ve finaly learned that I’m worthy of living. I get my semi colon tattoo on 24 July 19.
I will never give up!
I have a semicolon on my left hand ring finger to remind myself never to be with someone who makes me feel unworthy of their love.
I won’t go into much detail here, but I have a history of bad mental health, and my lowest point put me in the hospital for three days. My greatest escape is through musical theatre ( I have a BA in theatre arts) and reading and writing. I decided to mash these two up into my very first tattoo which I got done a week ago. For anyone who has seen/listened to Hamilton, you’ll know the song “Wait For It” is a really big moment for Aaron Burr. We get a glimpse into his past and his true nature. The song struck a chord with me (heh no pun intended) as I realized I am very much like Burr in the musical. Ambitious, a dreamer, but in a sit and watch before making a move kind of way. So on the inside of my left forearm I have “inimitable ; original” . People ask my why I got it and I usually just say “they’re lyrics from my favorite song of my favorite show” but really, it’s so much more than that. It’s a reminder that there is no one like me, that I have a lot to offer the world, but that I am also not alone in my struggles. Anyone who sees it and know the show and/or the semicolon meaning will understand and hopefully know that they are not alone either.
My sister who is 15 just tried to overdose and kill herself two days ago, she now is at a mental hospital. One of my little twin sisters the one who is 12 also tried to commit suicide last hear by attemting slit her wrists in school after being bullied, she had to missed so many days she getting kept back. My only brother who is 23 now tried to commit suicide earlier this year also by slitting his wrists, and im the only one he talked to because hes also my bestfriend. Theres 5 of us in total and i too have those thoughts but have never acted upon them because ik i can always not allow people to make me feel down but not everyone ca find that syrength and two of my sibling along wuth my mother suffer from mental illness and without them id be so lost! Im going to get the semicolan tatto for them when my sister is released.
I have had a terrible run in with the decision or if I was going to continue on with life or not. Even though my family is the most important life aspect to me depression was telling me differently. With the support of my family I now am surviving depression with the help of them and my therapist. I am so happy I decided to continue on. I continue with life because my selfishness needs to be out aside for ending my life would destroy theirs.
It was a hard month, I had been working alot not taking care of myself always worried about the family. Got transferred from my store(where I had been for 3-3 1/2 years to a location 2 more hours away… My marriage was slipping away and I felt disconnected from my wife. I got curious and checked her Facebook and she was talking to some guy and when I asked her about it. Well lets just say I could no longer hold my shit.. and I had a relapse and almost took my own life… I was sick from drinking all night but I finally had plan and I was going to do it.. but first I had to get sober. I took a nap and while I was napping my wife came in with our daughter.. it felt so real .and she said go wake up your dad, tell him to take our the dogs.. my daughter came over and shook my shoulder and said to my wife” mommy, daddy is really cold. And I can see the look on her face, broken, confused, hurt, immediately she realized I was fead and she starts shaking me crying/sceaming…. NO DADDY DON’T DIE I LOVE YOU DADDY I’LL BE A GOOD GIRL NO DADDY DON’T LEAVE ME I NEED YOU DADDY..and all I could do is watch my daughter break down and blame herself for my death. And my wife well I thought it would make her life easier if I was just dead I could not let my only child blame herself for my selfish act.. I woke up and told my wife my plan and told her I need help… I struggle with life, I struggle to find work I struggle to do normal things that people DO but I don’t give up because more than I hate myself.. my daughter loves me she don’t judge me for the thing I have done.. for the people I have hurt.. I can’t forgive myself for the things I have done but I fight on because my daughter deserves me.
I am a suicide attempt survivor that no one knew about until I told them days later. I took handfuls of pills with two bottles of wine and held my phone in my hand to call 911 when I got scared; but I was so wasted I couldn’t remember how to use my phone nor why I was holding it. So I went to bed, falling and avulsing the tendons and ligaments attached to my tailbone. When I finally made it out of the “funhouse/moving floor” I was about to pass out when an angel came to me and said “It’s not your time.” I woke up the next morning when I shouldn’t have and went to work like nothing happened. Since that time I have come close to at least planning my own demise again; then I got reacquainted with God and Jesus. Here was the pure, unconditional love I had searched for my entire life and I’ve remained in His arms ever since. I got the heart/semi-colon tattoo behind my ear the same day I had a Bible verse tattooed on my wrist. I did this so I could minister to someone in the same position I was in, as proof I have been there and I know what they are feeling. I am always there to listen and as proof life does go on and it can be incredible despite decades of never wanting to wake up in the morning. God is great!
I never fully understood what was wrong with me, I just knew that I was different. I tried to hide the way I left but the only way to release the pain was self harm. One day someone stopped over looking me and saw all the pain I was in and started me on the path of recovery. Now two years after getting diagnosed with depression, I found better ways to express my pain. My semicolon tattoo keeps me going, every time I want to give up.
I have been a NICU nurse for over 20 yrs. I have seen parents on the worst day of their lives,I have seen babies abandoned in the nicu,I have had 3 miscarriages,death of a partner,and currently my wife and I are foster parents to a baby we have had for a year and he will not be able to make this his forever home. I have struggled with anxiety my entire life,panic attacks from the thought of any one I love being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and even though I am always smiling on the outside I am constantly dealing with sadness. There aren’t enough triathlons,100 mike bike rides that touch the pain at times. My little brother just told me his HIV+ and has thought about suicide many times. Shall I go on? I will be getting this tatoo to start the conversations and to remind myself that I matter and love myself. Now I just need ideas. Thank you.
I am a survivor of Domestic Rape & Violence, 15 years ago. Yes, I immediately went into therapy for the horrific incident and for trial prep. The man was sentenced to 4 life sentences and will never hurt another woman. Due to the brutality I had multiple surgeries. These surgeries left me permanently disabled with a spine condition that there is no cure for, Adhesive Arachnoiditis. I’ve been on EVERY anti-depressant in the last 15 years. My depression escalated as did my anxiety and I became suicidal. I went to the Mayo Clinic where I was diagnosed with PTSD, MDD (Major Depressive Disorder), treatment resistant depression and major anxiety.. All the meds stopped working, adding additional meds only worked for a week or two and any new med also was only good for 10 days-2 weeks. At the Mayo Clinic they did a DNA test known as Pharmacogenomics that helps to determine the best medication, proper dosage & serious side effects. Also known as “Cytochrome P450”. It was there that I first heard of electro convulsive therapy. So when I got home I continued to do research in the area of cranial therapy. That’s when I found several companies offering CES Units. Being a patient at the Mayo Clinic saved my life. I received the best of care from a very compassionate and caring team of doctors and nurses. My medication was changed and it certainly made a difference to be on the right medication. I found your site when I was researching the available CES Units. I most definitely will be getting a ; tattoo and will continue to check in on your Facebook page and to be as supportive as possible, Thank you for allowing me share. It’s truly been an honor!
Having suffered with severe and excruciating OCD from the ages of eleven to twenty-nine, and even though I feel great now, I do think that what with my being a writer who seems to finally be able to find the silver-lining in breaking relative boundaries regards the certain creative ability to tell a story thankfully, that not particularly a semicolon tattoo but rather a tattoo of open commas with a straight dash through the centre might be my go-to as it is poetry I write at the moment and titles are, of course, a large part of that. Does this seem like a silly idea for someone who has never considered getting a tattoo before? Cheers, it’s a really cool and nice way to perhaps bring a sufferer back to the tattoo, where ever it may be on their body, and to relax. Brian 🙂
I love the semi-colon tattoo thing! It’s a great way to show support for those who suffer. -Helen
I have depression, anxiety and ADD. My friend and I both have decided that were going to get our semi colon tattoos, done Jan.
I don’t have any tattoos, and I didn’t think I would have one. I heard about the semicolon project and admire it but I chose to keep my own struggle private.
This evening a friend who is a policeman posted something on FB about police suicide. I know he’s been going through some things so out of concern I offered to make a pact with him; we each get the tat and we each seek out the other if we start thinking bad.
So, I might be getting one after all- take care
Strength comes in all shapes and sizes.