Dear 15 year old me,

High school isn’t everything. You don’t need to wake up at 5a.m. every morning to straighten your hair, and put on make up that is three shades darker than your skin tone (don’t worry, you’ll learn about that). Wearing a stylish outfit everyday just simply won’t happen. You will wear sweatpants. Impressing everyone is the least of your worries as long as you are confident and happy with who you are. On that note, it will take some time to actually be happy with you who are. It’s not going to happen in a day, or even a year. In fact, I’m still learning how to be happy with myself, it’s a growing process.

The boy that you think is your whole world, is not your world. Trust me, you will spend way more time than necessary thinking about the perfect boy and every time, you will be let down because no guy will ever fit those ridiculous high standards. Also, not every break up is a bad one. Some break ups are healthy, and you can definitely remain friends. Don’t buy into the society standard that every boy after a break up is the enemy. Having a best guy friend is so much more important than having a boyfriend.

Don’t be afraid to take chances and get out of your comfort zone. People aren’t scary, and most people are friendly and want to be your friend. If you want to audition for that play, go and audition. Go to the church event, even if you go alone. Don’t take everything so seriously, because mistakes will happen, and it’s much better to laugh at yourself than to get embarrassed.

Don’t be scared of other people’s opinions. You like watching Disney movies and t.v., and you still do. Somehow it’s socially unacceptable for 15 year olds to like certain things, and not like certain things. If you like a band, then it’s something you like. P.s. you like Paramore, and The Office. Watch The Office more, trust me. Like the music you want to listen to, and be who you are. Also, keep wanting the tattoos you want. You like them and think they are fascinating, it doesn’t matter what other people think because your arm will blossom into a beautiful work of art.

Your best friend will not be your best friend in 5 years. In fact, not even a year later. Unfortunately, people will come in and out of your life. And at 15, this happens very easily. Sometimes people just grow apart for no reason, and this is okay. My friend group now is very different than my friend group back then. The people are different and the interests are different. Everyone is growing up and figuring out who they are, and their interests, it’s natural.

And finally, if I can tell you one thing, 15 year old me, is to drop toxic people from your life. You are smart enough to identify when something is not right and when someone is not treating you in a respectable way. You’ve got a few people you will unfortunately encounter, but stay strong. Also, remember those two people we call Mom and Dad? Yeah, they are there to help you, believe it or not. Learn to ask for help, and talk to Mom and Dad. In this time, your faith will be the only thing you can rely on. You’ve got a lot of growing up to do.