Last weekend I got my first tattoo, and while I'm sitting here typing this article, I'm staring at it in disbelief. This idea to get a tattoo is something I have been sitting with for a few months now, and the significance behind the tattoo is what inspired me to get it in the first place. The months up until I got my tattoo were filled with hundreds of Pinterest articles, discussions with friends about what I was even going to do, and quite frankly, fear. I am not the biggest fan of needles, and I could only imagine what the pain was going to be like. I knew I wanted the tattoo on my wrist, and through all the articles I had read, the wrist was seemingly a very painful place. But, I went through with it anyway and I survived! Now, here are five things I wish I had known (and thankful to know) before I went to get my first tattoo.

1. Go with trusted friends

I was blessed to go with my two best friends, and they made the experience so bearable. Not only were they able to laugh with me while I made various faces, but they were also the first people to validate that this permeant mark I was getting on my body was amazing. Shout out to Sarah for letting me squeeze the life out of her hand during the entire process. Really, have someone there whose hand you can hold.

2. Breathe. It really isn't that painful.

If you are thinking of a tattoo but are worried about how painful it may be, I am here to assure you that it really isn't that bad. I asked so many people who I knew had tattoos about the pain, and they all described it as something that wasn't fun, but definitely not unbearable. I did doubt their descriptions at first, because I had the idea that this was going to be extremely painful, and I chalked up their experiences to them just having high pain tolerance. As someone with low pain tolerance, I can assure you that while it isn't a fun pain, it isn't unbearable. My best friend and one of the people who came with me described the pain as a long cat scratch, and that's exactly how I would describe it.

3. Please eat and drink something beforehand

I'm the kind of person where if I haven't eaten and properly hydrated before something, like a physical activity or a stressful situation, I'll get really shaky. If this happens to you, then definitely get something to eat and bring a water bottle before you go. I would recommend not getting something with caffeine, or something super sugary. You don't want anything that'll make you jittery - you know what makes your body calm, and what gets you jacked up. Before my tattoo, I had a cheese omelette and water with electrolytes in it.

4. Find a good tattoo artist

Now this may seem like a no-brainer, but this really matters. I don't only mean good in the sense of design and actual art ability, but in personality as well. I went into this fearing judgement from my tattoo artist because I had read articles where tattoo artists judge you if you're getting what society would call a "basic" tattoo. I mean basic in the sense of getting something cheesy, or cliche. While my tattoo was not a classic, cheesy, or cliche image, I still feared judgement. But when I walked in, and talked to my tattoo artist, he was so welcoming, non-judgemental, and made me feel so uncomfortable. He cracked jokes with me and my friends, and was extremely genuine. He truly made the experience so great, and I'm so thankful for that. Plus, he made an incredible tattoo!

5. Fall in love with your tattoo

Everyone tells you how this is going to be permeant and it'll be on you for the rest of your life so it better be worth it, blah blah blah. Of course, what they are saying definitely has some truth to it. But, I think there is this idea that we can't get a tattoo unless it symbolizes something deeper and we have to justify why we get a tattoo. While my own personal tattoo has significance to me, I believe any reason you want a tattoo is justified (within reason obviously). If something has enough meaning that you can justify to yourself that you want it on your body forever, then get that tattoo. You will be able to have that connection with whatever symbol or word you choose for the rest of your life, and that's beautiful. Get out there, get that tattoo, and go love it with all your heart.