Theralex

Awwwh thank you for saying that! 🙂 Yeah, there is a pretty significant hourglass in the story, and it's a very common design that people get. I could totally see a design like that with a real place, it would look awesome. You could include common landmarks and stuff in it!

Hi Tiva! I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through this 😞 I can assure you, though, that it'll be fine. It's a big change to your body, and it's normal to feel anxious about that! But trust me, it'll become like a mole or some other quirk about yourself that you grow to not really mind. I'm not sure I said this on this thread before, but when I was going through it, I basically moved in with my best friends so that I was not alone and we found beautiful things about my tattoo, that still stick with me today - essentially, what it stands for. Creaking floorboards in corridors, moving paintings and the magic that is part of the world I chose for my design. But yeah, not being alone helped. I also researched laser removal, even seriously considered it, but decided not to do it. I don't think I finally accepted it until a few months ago when the singer Liam Payne described feeling similar about a tattoo he got while he was drunk, so that random outside confirmation that this is normal and everyone so far has overcome it in one way or another, helped a lot. Your tattoo is not your entire world. There is much more to you than this, much more to your life than this, and this feeling will pass. Please don't hesistate to keep posting here, it helped me so much back in the day, and I hope it can do the same for you! ❤️

Just a quick update, since the tattoo is now a year old: I'm not head over heels in love with it, but I am used to it and it does not bother almost at all. Seeing that my body still functions is reassuring, as are shorts and dresses that cover it. I almost would have forgotten the one year anniversary of the shitshow this has been had I not randomly thought about my other tattoos while working out. So I guess it's all good, I learned a lot and I hope everyone can come to not mind their tattoos that they regretted 🙂

Hello everyone! I thought I'd give a quick update that no one asked for :D The tattoo is now half a year old and developed a neat little blowout. Looks a bit like a bruise around it, so that's a bummer. I am generally still not very fond of it. There are days when I think it's beautiful or at least not that big of a deal and other days I want to chop off my leg. It's especially difficult now in the summer because of shorts and dresses and I'm looking into getting clothes that can cover it for those days where I don't feel like doing confrontation therapy. I find that using my body helps. Working out, going on hikes - my body is not less or less capable because of that tattoo. I guess I'm coming to terms with not coming to terms with the tattoo, if that makes any sense, and I would like other tattoos as long as they're more delicate than this one. If I remember and anyone cares, I'll just update in another 6 months :D Thanks for all your help back then, it really helped me feel less alone. Cheers!

Hi @Hands On! You are absolutely right, it is the fact that it is more visible to myself than the others are that is difficult. I am getting more and more used to it, though, and can almost spend time by myself again without hating absolutely everything 🙂 The castle is actually Hogwarts, so hierachies don't have that much to do with it. The tattoo just references the fact that Harry Potter has been a huge part of my life ever since I was little and shaped me a lot. No deeper meaning to it than it defining me, no big deal 😄 I really enjoy the different aspects you mentioned that could be triggering this. Do you have a psychology background?

Thanks guys! I already feel much better about it and I hope I will continue to grow into it. I'm spending all day with my closest friends who keep me occupied and distracted but also talk about the situation with me if I start the discussion. But like I said, it's already gotten much much better. That sounds interesting! I mean, a taiittoo does not compare to an illness, but maybe the process is similar. I think it might also have to do with the idea that we have of ourselves, which of course is shaped by the way we look. So maybe when we change our exterior, we feel a slight disconnect between our character and the way we look after getting tattooed. For me there was/is also a feeling of having let myself down, of having made the wrong choice and thinking that I made a mistake - which I try to always always avoid at all costs. I'm sorry if my english is weird right now, I can't properly access my language skills right now ahaha @oboogie Thank you so much for your input! Are those your tattoos on your legs? They look AWESOME!

Hi Dan, thanks a bunch for your reply 🙂 I'm glad you like it. I do wonder what the psychological reasons for post tattoo remorse are. Also - nice quote! Joaquin seems to be a role model 🙂

Hey guys, I just signed up here after finding this thread. I just got my 3rd Tattoo in total and it's beautiful, I love the design and how it's made and what it stands for. Still, I have been crying about getting it ever since i got it, I'm constantly nauesous and even was close to fainting a couple of times because of anxiety/stress 😄 The tattoo is much more visible (on my thigh), much more present, much more THERE than my other tattoos (1 small lettering on my arm, 1 neotraditional on the side of my calf) and I never had this feeling with the other two, so I am really confused as to why I am so upset and even researched laser removal and just wanted it GONE. The Tattoo is literally 2 days old. Reading all your experiences here really helped me and I think my anxiety just got better by a lot. I hope I will continue to get used to it and not be as focused on it anymore. Anyways, I will attach a picture of the little culprit to this post when I'm not on mobile so you know what I'm talking about. Cheers!