Although it is impossible to go back in time, I'm sure there are things that each of us wishes we could tell our younger selves to help avoid a lot of pain, frustration, and confusion. If I were able to, here is some advice I'd give to the younger me.

1. Learning how to write in cursive will not make or break you.

I know right now you feel super stressed out because you are in the 2nd grade still learning how to properly write your name and form letters. And as soon as you start getting the hang of that, the teacher introduces cursive to the class, and keeps saying "you have to learn how to write in cursive because it will be very important when you grow up." It won't.

2. Talk about how you feel.

Talking about how you feel does not make you weak. I know you have a hard time expressing your emotions to others, but it will benefit you so much when you finally decide to. There are people in your life who truly care about how you feel and who want to take the time to listen. Give them a chance.

3. Don't change who you are to fit in.

Growing up you've always felt a sense of loneliness. Right now you feel like you are always someone's "last choice," so you try to mold yourself into what you think other people will like. You will soon learn that doing that was never necessary in the first place. The people who are in your life now love you for who you are, and you never have to pretend to be someone else when you're with them.

4. You don't need all the boys to notice you.

You wake up an hour earlier than your alarm, just so you can get a head start on doing your hair and make-up to impress the guys at school. The whole entire day you feel self-conscious about your appearance wondering if anyone notices that you took the extra time to make yourself look pretty. But that's the thing... you don't have to try. You are beautiful the way you are, and the people you are trying to impress now won't even be in your life within the next five years.

5. Laughing at others won't make you feel better about yourself.

The class clown has told another joke about the unpopular kid in the corner, and everyone is laughing. Even though deep down you feel bad, you laugh anyway because you don't want to stand out. What you don't know right now is that standing up for others will later become one of your biggest passions in life. You will not tolerate it by any means and will do some pretty brave things standing up for what you believe in. The older you is someone you will be very proud of.

6. Your heart won't be broken forever.

You've just gotten dumped by someone you thought you were completely in love with. You even imagined yourself spending the rest of your life with him. But here's the thing: he was not the one for you. He was only there to teach you. You will be VERY glad that things ended between the two of you because you will be so much stronger when you realize you are worth so much more than how you were being treated.

7. It's okay to be different.

When you look around you now, you feel like a complete outcast. Almost everyone you know drinks, smokes, and parties religiously... and it has you feeling like maybe there's something wrong with you. It is okay to not want to do those things. DO NOT allow anyone to make you feel like you are missing out, and that you are boring. You'll later meet so many people who feel the same way you do. Stand by your decisions, and never question who you are because of other people.

8. Stop blaming yourself for everything.

You do not have to stress yourself out trying to make everyone happy. You will soon realize that you will never be able to satisfy everyone. Stop taking other people's ugliness and making it your own. Don't blame yourself for the way other people treat you because that is something you will never be able to control. Continue being your kind, compassionate self, and you will see that this will open so many doors and beautiful friendships for you.