Dear Younger Self,

Life has changed so much, but I would say mostly for the better. Now I can't tell you everything that is going to happen. You are just going to have to find out yourself. What I can do, is give you some advice on how to better cope with what is ahead. Cherish these words because who better to believe than your future self!? The first thing you need to always remember is stay strong. You are a lot stronger than you think you are. I know school can be tough and you may not necessarily have a lot of friends. But the the few that are by your side is all you need. Trust me, they'll be there for you when you need them to. Don't push your friends away or distance yourself from them. Your friends are the ones who will give you the best memories to look back on and laugh about, cherish them. Something that I always regretted in life is not taking as many risks. Of course, we're not talking about extreme stuff here but there were times when you were too shy to put yourself out there and make new friends. You are so fun and nice any person will be lucky to have you as their friend. Just be yourself! Now, there will be some people who will take advantage of you. You will be tempted to forgive them each time and listen to their excuses. Have a voice and when you think that person is too toxic for you, break it off. Believe me, you are much better off without that person. Who exactly you may ask? Ahh, well that is something for you to figure it out. You probably don't want to hear this, but college gets tough. Just remember, try to not procrastinate. It will make life so much easier if you stop watching Netflix and just start your paper. Don't forget! The great thing about college is that you discover who you really are. You have so much potential so never lose the motivation to keep going! Even if it becomes hard, which it will, just remember why you are doing this in the first place. Mom and dad will be so proud of you once you walk across that stage. Lastly, the most important thing you need to do is love yourself. I know you had a struggle for awhile now with depression, but it is finally time to start healing from those wounds of the past. You just need to let it go. It won't be easy, but is totally worth it. Right now, I am so happy with how my life is and so grateful to have made it this far. If you want to make it as far as I have, then you need to start recognizing the great things about yourself. Life is so beautiful and I don't want you to miss any part of it. So get out there, make new friends, live life to the fullest, and take risks. Don't spend too much time worrying, it just wastes your time when you could be having fun. Stay close to your family and friends and everything will be alright. Don't take life too seriously. Just don't do anything too crazy, mom and dad surely will get you in trouble, you know how they are. Well, I hope you take my advice seriously and actually use it. I think I am the best person to let you know of all of this stuff. Everything will be okay, it all happens for a reason. So keep smiling and be the best version of yourself each day! I wish you the best and hope to talk to you again sometime soon. Good Luck!

Love,

Andrea (your older self)