Dear Past Me,
What a ride it has been thus far. Your life will be a roller coaster of events within the 20 years you have been on this earth. You will experience relationships, you will experience death, you will experience love, you will experience growth; in just a short 20 years, you will go through so much that will eventually shape you into the person you will soon become. However, I will tell you a few things that I wish I would have known.
So, past me, remember these next lessons as you start to go through life.
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First, and most importantly, love yourself.
With the expectations that you are constantly striving to reach, it is hard to really care for yourself and learn to fall in love with who you are as a person. I know in your head you are never going to be skinny enough or pretty enough or smart enough. But, just know, that you are an amazing person, regardless of what other people may influence you to believe. You are beautiful, inside and out, and that is something that needs to be accepted by YOU. For others to love who you are, you first have to love yourself.
Second, make sure you take care of yourself.
Nothing should be more important to you, than you. Being healthy, both mentally and physically, comes from putting your best effort forward and truly caring about yourself. Eating healthy, working out, getting enough sleep; these may seem like little aspects, but doing them will make all the difference in how you feel about yourself and how others will perceive you. Without taking care of yourself, you could turn into someone that you would never want to be. You deserve to be the best version of yourself and in order to achieve that goal, you must realize the importance of taking care of yourself.
Third, your happiness always comes first.
I know it is sometimes so easy to ensure everyone around you is happy and just completely ignore your own feelings. However, if you are not happy, then there will be a downward spiral that can drive you into a headspace that will negatively affect you. You are going to be involved in so many situations where you may be letting someone else down to fulfill your happiness. But, if you are happy and content with yourself, other’s feelings should not affect your mental health.
Lastly, and certainly most importantly, do not worry about the little things; everything will work out.
It took me a long time to come to the realization of this, but not worrying about little details of your life that will most likely not matter in an hour will positively impact you and your mental health. It is so easy to want to worry about everyone liking you, or worrying about your exam that is not even for your major, but always ask yourself this question: will this matter in an hour? A day? If the answer is no, then let it go! Wasting your energy on things that don’t particularly matter to you will inhibit you from succeeding things that are simple to you. Worrying will only dig you into a deeper hole of negativity, and with all the curveballs that life throws at you, negativity is definitely something you will not need in the coming years.
These lessons, which have come to me within the past three years of my life, have taught me so much that I will take to me as I move into the future. Growing out of your teens is an enormous deal and teaches you a ton of maturity. Through this maturity, you are going to grow away from people and meet others that better suit your life. So, take these with you. Remember them. You will soon be the person that you have always strived to be, but all it takes is a few lessons that I wish I’d known at your age.