20 Things I Learned Before Turning 20

During the lockdown, my friends helped me a lot. Not being able to see them face to face has made me recognize how much they mean to me. So, if you haven’t talked to your friends for a while, give them a phone call or go see them.

Sometimes I got disappointed over things that people did or didn’t do. For example, friends having sleepovers without me, or being told obvious lies to my face. Unfortunately, these things happen, and all you can do is to let them go. I had a hard time dealing with these events because I would just keep thinking about what I did wrong over and over again. But it’s a fact that others don’t always share the same values, compassion, or even sense of justice as you. 

Society puts pressure on us to be in a relationship, but you can learn about yourself and have more time with friends by being single.

It’s important to set boundaries, especially when you get bad vibes from certain people or feel like they negatively influence you. If you don’t, you might regret it later. I learned it the hard way.

Blair Waldorf once said, “If you really want something, you don’t stop for anyone or anything until you get it.

I used to believe that I’m an extrovert, but by taking the 16 personality test, I realized that I’m kind of an introvert. The test was quite accurate to the point where it’s kind of scary. If you want to learn more about yourself, this test might be a fun way to do it.

No matter how you dress or behave, some people will judge you no matter what. So just rock it. Walk into rooms as if you are a queen and fill yourself with confidence. You can’t change how others think, but you can change how you feel about yourself

Body shaming is so 2000s, and health can’t be measured by size. Be confident in your skin and wear whatever you want. Life is too short to worry about your size.

There are some events that can change your path, like a high school entrance exam or university application. If you couldn’t make it to your first choice, that’s totally fine. Sometimes you have to go with the flow. Everything will be alright.

Listing the latest songs is still good, but songs from the 70s and 80s are good too.

I felt so weird for not seeing my friends from high school every day, but it’s not realistic to keep in touch with all of them. When your environment changes, your relationships with people will change too, and that’s normal.

I used to be obsessed with calories, but it made it difficult for me to enjoy the food on my plate. Unless you have been given a doctors’ advice to do so, forget calories and enjoy the food. Still, eating a balanced meal is important.

Elle Woods once said, ‘’Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands.’’ and that is absolutely true. I started to working out regularly with my friends on zoom since quarantine started. It’s been almost a year now and I feel amazing after every time I’ve done my workout. I use to be very athletic back in junior high and elementary school, and now I feel like I’m kind of back in those days.

It’s actually really calming and relaxing. Try it if you want to. All you need is a good pen and a piece of paper. 

The time we can share with family is limited, and it will probably get shorter year by year because of study abroad, work, or even engagement. To me, one thing I can appreciate about this lockdown is the time I spent with my family. As we get older, so do our parents. While we come to feel like they are always beside us, but they will be gone in someday. So, take your time and stay in touch and maintain good relationships with family. 

For the first few weeks of quarantine, I did nothing besides assignment because I thought there were no opportunities. Also, it was easy to make excuses. However, there were still tons of opportunities online, and I was missing them all. I felt like the world stopped moving because of the pandemic, but universities were providing us with lots of activities. Eventually, I realized my foolishness, got my butt up, and grabbed an opportunity to have conversations with a student from Edinburgh university every week to improve my English and her Japanese. 

It’s not as bad as you think. You get to have all that freedom to yourself.

The Internet, the most chaotic place on earth, is filled with information, and it flows so fast that we often neglect to check for sources, dates, and reliability. Especially on social media like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, people post information without thinking about it deeply. We have to be intentional when we decide to consume information, especially any that is medical, political, and health-related.

Buy less and invest in quality pieces. It’s eco-friendly and budget-friendly. 

There are times to stay calm or speak up. If something is really important to you, don’t hesitate. Just say it!