How to relax myself for a tattoo?

Question

I'm getting a tattoo soon. (sorry for all the annoying tattoo questions.) I'm a bit nervous so I was wondering, how can I relax myself for a tattoo? I sometimes get very worked up about things, and I don't want that to happen.

What did you do for your tattoo? I'm thinking about bringing suckers and a friend to talk to. Is this a good idea?

Answer 1

Several options/comments:

Keep in mind that the body's natural pain reducers - endorphins - will kick in within about 5-10 minutes of the beginning of the tattoo. You won't get completely numb (probably), but it will turn down the 'volume' of the pain substantially. It kind of works like nitrous for me; I can still kinda feel it, but I get so loopy it doesn't matter. In fact, I tend to giggle & laugh at the dumbest things.

Definitely bring a friend. Make sure it's someone who likes to talk a lot and has something to talk about. If nothing else you might need someone to drive you home due to loopiness or the bandage getting in the way of steering.

Eat a normal meal about an hour beforehand, with no caffeine or alcohol. Good shops don't tattoo drunk people and caffeine can make you jittery.

Get enough sleep beforehand. I always burn a vacation day when I get work done to make sure I'm in no hurry and have no sleep deficit.

No aspirin or similar. They thin the blood and make things problematic.

Don't be afraid to ask for a break. The artist may want to stretch his or her legs anyhow.

The sucker isn't a bad idea, but if you follow the meal advice your blood sugar shouldn't be a problem. Bring the sucker regardless.

Best of luck to you. Although it will depend on location and your tolerance, most people find the pain is more hype than fact. Everyone I know came out of the experience with a reaction like "that was it?"

Answer 2

i would skip the suckers. eat a meal before you go. NEVER go on an empty stomach. i always bring something small to eat when the artists takes a break (i usually have 2+ hour sessions and need a pick me up) i also bring gum to chew because i clench my jaw and i am always afraid of damaging my teeth. i read books when i get tattooed because... i can take my mind off of the pain but other people like to talk to thier friends which can also be distracting. some people listen to music but... i can't it just doesn't work.

good luck!

Answer 3

Bringing someone to talk to is good because it'll help take your mind off of the tattoo process. Just make sure you don't laugh or anything like that. Some people bring one of those stress balls that you squeeze. I usually just use my jacket (if it's cold enough for one) as a makeshift stress ball and squeeze it. I usually just close my eyes, take deep breaths, and try to think of something else. I always go with a friend, but I usually don't talk to them all that much because I'm concentrating more on taking deep breaths and letting my mind wonder. Good luck!

Answer 4

the one thing you need to remember is to breathe.. as long as you just keep breathing steadily it wont be so bad.. it will also help you to relax.. if you concentrate on each inhale and exhale then you wont be thinking about the tattoo so much..

bringing a friend is a good idea.. another is to take an i pod or cd player.. listen to something that relaxes or distracts you..

for my tattoo i went to an artist that i was comfortable with.. i knew he was good at what he did and well i've known him for eight years.. so that really helped for me.. i also had some of my family with me.. they talked to me and kept my mind off of it.. my artist had music playing too.. so that was nice.. and like i said.. breathing really helped.. it took an hour for me to get my tattoo.. but i just closed my eyes, listened to the music, and breathed.. i barely noticed it took that long..

and don't worry.. after the outline is done your adrenaline normally kicks in and you don't feel it as much..

i'm sure you'll do fine and i wish you the best..

hope this helps!

Answer 5

its not THAT BAD. chill out. take a shot of something before you go in or a volume. suckers is a good idea in case your sugar level goes down. but thatll usually happen if you dont eat something before. so make sure you eat. and bring a friend with you to keep you occupied. or an ipod or something so you dont hear the stupid noise from the machine.
you will be okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. i think ur making it to be more than it is. yes it hurts... but its not like your getting shot or stabbed lol.

Answer 6

What are you getting that is sooo cool. just relax listen to your ipod if you have one.Or you canmeditate close your eyes talk to someone just dont focus on the pain! TRUST me it is not a great fealing! BUT make sure you put cream on it and make sure that the person that you get it from isnt new,and that he has a lisence!( sister got one and he did the crappyiest job and didnt have his lisence!)*TiP!!! Keep it out of the sun and for atleast a weak!GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 7

there isnt much you can do..al i did was work myself up sp much that my adrenaline blocked the pain...but that didnt work for my three others...my mom suggested to a guy that he try taking a pain killer like advil, or motrin....nothing that can be used as a "narcotic" and whatevey you do, DO NOT drink, it makes you bleed more, so you'll feel even worse...good luck, hope you like the work that is done

Answer 8

Its not so bad, the artist doing will help you out. Just tell them u r nervous they know how to handle it....DO NOT DRINK

Answer 9

dont worrie bout it dont look at the neadle and urll b fine

Answer 10

you cant. it hurts like a btch.

i almost cried when i got my first one and theyre all in sensitive spots