THINGS I'D TELL MY TEENAGE SELF

I left my teenage years several years ago and even though sometimes I still can't believe that I am a twenty-something girl, I feel like in these couple of years I've learned quite a few important things about life. I wish I could somehow meet myself when I was a scared, shy and sometimes lonely teenager, hug myself and make sure that everything will turn out to be fine and if not exactly fine, as least there will be some pretty great lessons learned along the way.

1. Don't be scared so much

Go out and do things! Join the clubs in school, be active, go volunteer, go to events where you want to go even though you have no one else who wants to go with you. Go alone, you can meet loads of amazing people and it is not as scary as it seems. I really wish I could tell this myself and I would listen to what older me is saying because that would've made my high school years even better. I missed out on quite a few things because I was too scared and didn't have enough self-confidence. 

2. Having a boyfriend doesn't define your worth

I got my first boyfriend way after everyone else did and I can't lie and say that there weren't times when I was very sad and thought there was something seriously wrong with me because that wouldn't be true. But apparently things weren't so wrong with me because I eventually got myself a boyfriend, right? It's much better to be alone than in a bad company, so it's much better to wait to find the person that's right for you. There are a lot of important things happening in your life when you are a teenager, so not having teenage relationship problems is actually quite a good thing. You do not become better if you do have or not have a boyfriend.

3. Good for you for being yourself

There was a time in high school when all of the girls looked the same, you seriously couldn't say who is who if you saw them from the back. So dressing a little differently was a really good thing for me. I've always had hair who made me different and I've always had a style that was a little different as well. I never was a punk or goth or something like that, I just wore different clothes and didn't want to look like everyone else, so shopping in a thrift shop is a wonderful thing! And if you want wear big bows in your hair, have big necklaces or wear brightly colored tights, do it!

4. High school popularity isn't that important

There is no need to fit in desperately in the group of people you have nothing in common with. Popularity isn't such a big thing in Lithuania, there aren't any of these things you see in American films but there are still people who are "cooler" and the others who are not. But that is such a bullshit, really. I never tried to be one of the popular kids and I never was and most of the time it felt alright but there were definitely times when it sucked quite a lot. You know when they all hang out in a group, go to parties and have tons of pictures on Facebook from all of their parties? Yes, that part sucked but the older I got, the more I understood that having your group of people is a lot better than the group of friends who end up turning fake. After all, after high school this popularity thing doesn't mean anything at all.

5. Life does not stop after high school

I was so so afraid to graduate from high school, I was so used to my routine, to all the teachers, all of my friends and everything that was so familiar for 12 years. When everyone else wanted to spread their wings as soon as it's possible, I wanted to crawl under the table and say in high school forever. Now that I look back, I wouldn't go back there in a million years, that chapter is over and I'm very glad it is. As my future seemed very unsure after graduation, it seemed to me that it won't be a good one. I didn't have a good start of my uni experience but I've realized that life really does not stop after you leave high school, it's quite the opposite.

6. It is okay to start all over again

I don't deal well with disappointment, whether that's disappointing myself or others. But failing at something sometimes can be a very good lesson. You only have to find strength in yourself  to begin it all again, to start from scratch and build your life back up if it has fallen apart right in front of your eyes. We make mistakes, you can't always know if the decision you took is right for you or you will end up failing miserably once again, but it's worth trying to find it out. But you know what, it's important to have the courage to change the situation yourself because that can turn out to be the greatest thing you can do for yourself.

What advice would you give to your teenage self?