Dear Younger Me,
I just wanted to let you know that we have come a long way from where we were. I know at this moment in time you may feel as though nothing is ever going to get better and the world is against you, but things will improve. There are so many experiences I can’t wait for you to have, and so many people you have yet to meet that will bring you an abundance of happiness.
When you’re young, things feel a billion times bigger than they actually are. Stop fixating on every small detail and trying to make your life picture perfect. It’s not perfect and that’s okay. There are going to be a lot of hard days coming up and times where you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom. During these times, you need to realize that there are people who want to help and comfort you, so don’t hide and think you need to be strong for everyone else. Let people take care of you too.
You also need to start focusing on yourself. You put so much effort into every aspect of your life and give so much to other people that you neglect your needs in the process. Do things for yourself and find hobbies that make you happy. Put yourself out there and stop caring about other people’s perceptions of you. If you’re happy and doing the things you love, then that is all that matters.
Soon, you are going to see who is there for you and who isn’t. It’s going to be difficult, and I admire your ability to trust and love so openly without fear of consequence, but you deserve so much more than you know. You always manage to see the best in people, and I never want you to lose this, but you also need to understand that the good things people do, don’t make the bad things disappear. You need to stop letting people take advantage of your kindness.
You have a lot of lessons to learn, and I hope that you can understand just how worthy you are. There are people in your life that will come and go and it’s important to know this when the time comes. Don’t hold onto people you know aren’t good for you or who don’t help you, it’ll just make it harder in the end. You will make it through these times, you always do.
I hope you can understand just how strong and resilient you are. There are so many hurdles you will overcome, and I am so proud of you. I know it can be hard not to get caught up in the big picture of things, but make sure to slow down every once in a while. Learn to appreciate what you have; there are a lot of things you have to be grateful for. I know it’s hard when everything seems like it’s going wrong, but I promise you it’s worth it.
It’s okay to make mistakes and not always know what’s coming next. I want you to take more risks, to stop caring about what other people think and to stop worrying about things you can’t control. Stay close with your family; they’re always going to be your biggest supporters and will stay by your side until the end. Make friends who are like family and who give to you just as much as you give to them. Even now, at 20 years old, we are still making mistakes, learning and growing every day. Things aren’t going to be perfect but keep your head up and realize that in the end, it’ll all be okay.
Love,
Your Future Self