Post Tattoo Anxiety

Hey y’all, recently just got a pretty large first tattoo (chest and upper arm piece) that I have been thinking about for YEARS. After getting the tattoo initially the first week, I was thrilled. Now going into week two, I feel so anxious, to the point I feel nauseous and can’t stop thinking about the tattoo on me.

I posted my tattoo here earlier this week to help combat it (will post link in comments), and I got a very warm welcome and tons of compliments. I think whats bugging me the most is the fact that it’s a HUGE change to my body, and I’m just not used to it. I actually avoid looking at it. It’s getting to the point where it’s making me unsure if I like the tattoo or not. I’ve looked up tattoo cover ups and removal processes. It’s like one minute I love it, the other minute I hate it, and it’s very exhausting and nauseating. Has anyone else experienced this before, or am I just being a wimp about it?

UPDATE: 6 months later now, and tl;dr: I no longer feel this sense of anxiety anymore. In fact, like others commented, I usually forget I have a tattoo until someone comments on it (and it’s always been a compliment.)

My anxiety was crippling to the point that I sought out professionally help/therapy, but it was at therapy I realized that the tattoo just catalyzed deeper feelings of anxiety I already had. My advice if you’re feeling as anxious as I was:

1.) Wait it out: the huge change takes a while to get used to.

2.) Talk to someone: the chances that a single tattoo are the sole cause of your anxiety are very slim, and there’s probably other factors contributing to how you’re feeling

At the end of the day, your body is your body. You only get one, so do what you want with it. Take it from me; people aren’t judging you for your tattoo, and if they do, what’s the worst that’ll happen? They’ll say “I don’t like your tattoo” and your life goes on (but this’ll more than likely NEVER happen.) If you want a tattoo, go for it. But if it’s your first, don’t go wild with a quarter sleeve/chest piece for your first one like I did if you have experienced anxiety before.