Getting a tattoo was something I never imagined myself doing. I have an extremely low pain tolerance and am absolutely awful at making decisions, let alone decisions that will last me a lifetime.

However, one day a switch flicked inside me and all of a sudden, I could picture myself with tattoos crawling up my arms. Maybe it was because I wanted a new way to express myself, or maybe it was simply because I thought they were a beautiful form of art. Either way, I knew I had to have a tattoo.

Of course, I didn't just spontaneously go to the nearest tattoo parlor the next day; this decision came with a lot of thought. I began researching everything having to do with tattoos — something I absolutely urge everyone to do if they are considering getting one.

YouTube became my best friend. I watched video after video of people describing the pain levels of all of their tattoos, people giving advice on how to choose the design that's "right for you," and even people reacting to the first time the needle touched their skin. I looked into different aftercare methods, which body placements are best and won't fade, and how long different sizes take to complete.

Now, although I did months of research on it, I am not going to bore you with a listicle of tattoo tips — they're easily accessible all over the internet. What I will do is walk you through my own experience, since everyone's is truly different.

I knew from the get-go that I wanted a rose. A rose is not only my favorite type of flower, but it is also a family name and my middle name. Thus, I chose something that I knew would stay consistent in my life. Choosing the placement took a lot of temporary tattoos and doodling on my arms for me to finally decide on the "thumb side" of my right wrist. It was completely a trial and error process. And then, choosing the tattoo parlor was a constant cycle of me looking up artist profiles and contacting my favorites until I found the right one.

Once I finally had made all of my decisions, my appointment came and I survived getting my first tattoo (there was a lot of hype for something a little anticlimactic if you ask me). But, for a girl who is terrified of the concept of "forever," getting this little permanent mark on myself truly seemed to be therapeutic. Plus the pain was quite honestly a 2/10.

So, to make a long story short, if any of you are even slightly considering getting a tattoo, you should definitely do your research first, but I promise it will be well worth it in the end.