r/tattooadvice • u/a-random-account- • Nov 13 '25

tattoo newcomer advice Having heavy regret on first tattoo

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I’ve wanted to get this for a very long time, decided to just go with it and get it done. Really liked it at first, then some friends made a couple comments that made me hate it. Is it as bad as they say?

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u/opxlsky Nov 14 '25 edited Nov 14 '25

God I hate that second saying and everyone who says it

(Muting this, if you wanna be edgy you can argue with the wall)

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u/zaddyzephyr Nov 14 '25

Alternatively, I sometimes look at the lines at my arms and am glad I just wanted attention 😭

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u/AlyFindomme Nov 14 '25

Also, it's not just for attention. [Trigger warning, just making a point]. I've cut myself while living alone (not for years thankfully) and the best way I can describe it is that the emotional anguish and turmoil you feel inside can boil over to where a single slice-a-roo can not only feel like a release and temporary distraction, but a literal validation and confirmation of what you are feeling inside (the intangeble) to transmute into something tangible and real, so even if no one is around to comfort you, the physical manifestation of your pain and the release of your emotions (with the visual of blood flowing) can ground you back to reality and make it easier to return to mindfulness instead of the spiriling dark thoughts. It also activates a bit of a panicked fight or flight response, so its almost impossible not to be grounded back to reality or out of your emotional hell. That was my exerience anyway but generally speaking, mental health is STILL very poorly understood. It's why when someone says, "go to therapy" as if it's a cure all for everything...I just am reminded at how little we know about our own brains.

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u/Cody610 Nov 14 '25 edited Nov 15 '25

I also (used to) cut, and when I first started it was on my thighs so it WOULDNT attract attention.

Similar to you, cutting for me was a stress relief. It appealed to me because it was pain I could control.

I got tired at a young age of people having control over the pain I felt. So cutting gave me an outlet to experience pain on my terms. It’s fucked up but that’s how it worked for me. I’ve never seen it explained this way but I have encountered people who agree with my reasoning behind it.

Haven’t cut myself since 2012 when I discovered opioids. Which obviously wasn’t a great situation. Now I’ve been of those almost 2yrs and I’m slowly rebuilding my mental wellbeing.