Excerpts From An Honest Girl's Diary

The first tattoo I wanted was designed for me by my childhood (and current) best friend. However, it was never inked on my skin and I’m happy with my decision to wait until now to go under the needle.

As a child, I always struggled with being rebellious. I had not only the fear of my mother instilled in me but I’m a people-pleaser to my core. If I steared clear from trouble everything was right in my world. I grew up always having a set of friends by my side and got along well with relatives. Never wanting to rock the boat or offend anyone, I kept quiet and wound up being a doormat for everyone to walk on. I allowed my anxiety to get the best of me.

Until now.

After spending so much of life living in fear, I finally reached a point where enough was enough. While talking with my childhood friend, I brought up my never-ending and then-worsening social anxiety asking her how she learned to manage her own. She proceeded to tell me she put herself in situations where her anxiety would act up. She began forcing herself to go to stores and interact with others even though she was terrified to do so. Upon doing this, attending therapy at the time and having a short visit to a psychiatric facility she found all of these tactics useful. She’s now well-rounded when it comes to social interactions and I’ve never seen her more healthy, confident and vibrant. The steps she took were brave but necessary to better her mental health. She encouraged me to begin putting myself out there. She said to “feel the fear and do it anyway.” I don’t know if she understands how much that changed my life.

I began to repeat those words to myself whenever in an uncomfortable position. Sure enough, it worked like a charm. Over the course of six months I continued to live by those words. I transitioned from living in fear to learning how to control my anxiety. Not allowing it space to breathe made going out into the world a more enjoyable experience. Mind you, I still have moments in certain situations where I forget to “feel the fear and do it anyway” and let my worries take over. It’s a daily task but I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

I knew I wanted a semicolon somewhere on me and was inspired to have it placed on my wrist after seeing a photo of Selena Gomez with her semicolon tattoo. I thought that placing the quote next to it it would be perfect. Whenever I need a reminder of my strength and what I’m capable of I can look at them.



August 21st I summed up the courage to finally get the artwork I had been longing for. I was downright terrified at the thought of the pain I was about to endure- my artist could tell and asked if I was nervous. He made it so easy and kept my mind occupied talking about other things. The pain was maybe a 5/10. He said he was proud of me for being brave enough; especially since it was on my wrist which is one of the more painful spots. I’m so in love with my tattoos and feel complete with them. Well, for now. I’m already planning my next one!

Today I challenge you to begin your journey in learning how to be okay when uncomfortable. How to not let your mind control you. Instead, you control it. Make the phone call you’ve been putting off (I’m still a work in progress with phone anxiety myself), go to the store, go on that roller coaster you’re afraid of, travel somewhere new, get a tattoo!

Feel the fear… and do it anyway because life is too short to not live your best life.



Disclaimer: The author of this site is not a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist or medical professional. All information posted on this blog is about personal experiences written by the author. If you know someone or are experiencing a crisis, please contact 988 (Suicide and Crisis Hotline), 911, your local emergency department or licensed medical professional.