{"id":98,"date":"2025-09-09T13:09:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T13:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/?p=98"},"modified":"2025-09-09T13:09:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T13:09:04","slug":"the-tattoo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/2025\/09\/09\/the-tattoo\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tattoo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is my Tattoo?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You see that tattoo on my arm? The one that looks unfinished, half-done, or plain ugly? Yes, that one. It\u2019s not a scar but a sign of my resilience\u2014a symbol of strength, a reminder to keep moving forward, and to believe that life can look better each day. That\u2019s the tattoo I wear proudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you see me around and notice the tattoo, it\u2019s an invitation\u2014you can ask me about it, or talk to me. For me, showing it is the strongest I have ever been. It means I can share my story without having to force out the words \u201csuicide\u201d or \u201cdeath,\u201d which still get stuck in my throat every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why this Tattoo?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What is this elusive tattoo, you may ask? It isn\u2019t a metaphor or an exaggeration. It is, in fact, a tattoo I painstakingly had needled into my skin\u2014a stark reminder of how far I\u2019ve come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s tiny, as the artist described when sketching it onto me. Barely more than a centimetre wide or long, yet powerful. It stands out, sharp and unmissable. It\u2019s a semicolon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea for this tattoo comes from research and from countless people who, like me, have battled suicidal thoughts often without professional help. I\u2019ve seen many carry the same symbol\u2014across the globe, on different parts of their bodies. Some keep it hidden. Others wear it in plain sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The semicolon signifies continuity, the unfinished, the yet-to-come. It says: My story isn\u2019t over. It isn\u2019t a full stop. It isn\u2019t the end. It means, to be continued\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Does this mean my life has ended? No. But I have wished it would. I have wished my suicidal ideation could have disappeared with the prick of the needle on my arm\u2014but it doesn\u2019t work that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This symbol of power, hope, and resilience is also a reminder that I still have a life ahead of me. A life filled with possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every day is a struggle, but I am resilient\u2014and so are you. Life goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If reading this has triggered something in you, please reach out for help. And if you see me on the street and notice the tattoo, don\u2019t hesitate to come say hi. I\u2019m nice, I promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be continued\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bio-<\/strong> Vaishali Ramesh is a mental health advocate, researcher, and clinician, with experience in child protection, suicide prevention, and forensic psychology. She is passionate about developing culturally sensitive approaches to well-being, blending research, practice, and community engagement. When she\u2019s not deep in data analysis or risk assessments, she\u2019s probably giving serious thought to whether her plants are thriving\u2014or just plotting their slow revenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is my Tattoo? You see that tattoo on my arm? The one that looks unfinished, half-done, or plain ugly? Yes, that one. It\u2019s not a scar but a sign… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","gt-excerpt","gt-excerpt-thumbnail-square"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101,"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions\/101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ankaheehelpline.org\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}