Eliza B.: Healing from years of treating myself so poorly

Eliza B. has tattoos of branches and flowers on her arm to cover her scars from self-harm. Eliza B. explains, “The branches were drawn around the healed portions of my arm with the intent that the design could be added to when more of my scars healed.” Eliza B. started covering her self-injury scars when she was 16.

The process of being tattooed has been very healing for Eliza B. She says, “Starting to cover my scars was an attempt to start changing my destructive behaviours. Decorating my body has also helped me emotionally heal from years of treating myself so poorly.”

Before starting this tattoo, Eliza B. was struggling with addiction and self-harm. She notes, “My recovery hasn’t been linear – I spent years going back and forth with relapses – but right now I’m about 3.5 years sober and free of self-injurious behaviour. My scars have healed and faded significantly, and I hope to add more to the tattoo soon.”