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High school is a time in a person’s life when they are just figuring out who they are. Interests become established, new friendships form, and academic life becomes more prominent. These past years at high school have been a wild ride, and if I could go back and make different decisions I probably would on some occasions. Here are a few things that I would tell my past self in grade nine and ten to make my life easier and a little less stressful.
Don’t worry about the little things
Not stressing over the little things is probably the biggest tip I would give my past self. I used to always work myself up over little assignments or things on my to-do list that weren’t really going to matter in the bigger picture. I had a couple crazy semesters and sometimes some of my homework was just not able to be completed to my perfectionistic standards. I didn’t really get the memo that you are allowed to give yourself a break from time to time, so I constantly stress over every little thing in my life, even if it wasn’t about school. I would stress and overthink things like not going to bed early enough, finishing every ounce of my homework, not getting the mark I wanted, or even something as minor as not having enough time to paint my nails. All these things didn’t matter in the long run, and they just caused me unwanted negative energy that drained me from doing the things that were actually going to matter. Not to say that homework and academics aren’t important, but sometimes it’s evident that you need to take a break. Not stressing over the little things would have helped me be a more calm and positive person, and I strongly recommend not overthinking things to people going through the same struggle, because it’s so not worth it.
Think of the future
Thinking of the future is important, not only in high school but in every day decisions as well. After high school, most people pursue university, college, or go straight into the workforce. I somewhat thought of my future in grades nine and ten, but I never really established a set plan or goal to aspire to be. Sometimes it doesn’t come naturally and you have to really get to know yourself to know what you want in the future, but if you have an idea of what you’d like to be, it’s important that you act on it as soon as possible because it can open new doors and opportunities that may not be there forever. Thinking of the future also includes choosing your friends and who you hang around. Will they help you succeed? Or will they bring you down eventually? It’s important to ask yourself these things when choosing friends because sometimes you can run into issues further down the road if you get in with the wrong crowd. These are tips I would give myself in hindsight, to look ahead into my future and really dwell on what I see myself becoming. Having that picture in your head can really help you in all aspects of your life.
Be your own person
Being your own person is extremely important at this stage of your life. There are many temptations in high school that can challenge your strength and integrity, and knowing who you are as a person can really be an asset to making smart decisions. Not following the crowd and doing things solely in accordance with your beliefs is the key to living in harmony with yourself and others. I would definitely tell myself to try to be my own person and worry less about what other people are doing and what’s trendy at the time, because self expression is important at this age. When I was in grade nine, I told myself I wanted to be a nurse because that’s what my friends were doing and I convinced myself that I had the skill and desire to pursue that career. Now looking back, I realize I wasn’t truly following my passions and I was only following other people’s goals. As a result, this set me back and I missed out on some opportunities that I could have gotten if I had truly followed my dreams. Being your own person and getting to know yourself is how you will find happiness and will allow you to bring a different mindset to other people's lives instead of being a carbon copy of all your other friends. Trusting yourself and allowing your true colours to show will help you to build self confidence and self love in high school, and has definitely helped me see who I want to be later on.
As you can see here, there’s a few things I would tell my past self to help me be the best version of myself in high school, and I hope these tips help you to thrive in these next few years of life. These are things that most people struggle with but if you can tackle them now, then you won’t have to be thinking of what you would say to your past self like I am now. Remember, growing and maturing and realizing your mistakes in the past is a beautiful part of life, and it’s not possible to be perfect, but knowing these mistakes that I’ve made in the past may help you conquer them just like I did.