To the current freshmen (and sophomores, juniors, seniors too) this might not help every single one of you, but here are some things that I learned over my four years of high school. Some of these might help you now, and some of these you won't fully understand until much later, but hopefully they all will help at some point.
1. Girl friends are SO important.— Over the years I realized that no matter how close I was with a guy, no matter how much we confided in each other, there are just some things that boys don't understand. I cannot stress enough how important it is to at least have one or two girl friends to talk to when times get tough or you just need advice.
2. You will get your heart broken.— Whether it's by a boy, or the betrayal of a friend, or even if it's from an injury, it is going to happen and there's nothing you can do about it. You're going to cry and it's going to hurt but you will get through it and you will come out stronger than you ever were before.
3. You can't choose how other people act. But you can choose how you let their actions affect you.— This one is harder to understand because most of the time of the time, things that are done to you are out of your control. But no matter what, you are the one that decides how you let hardships and challenges affect your life. Don't let them break you down, grow and learn from these experiences.
4. Sometimes you need to take a personal day.— Sometimes you will be so stretched thin with the stress of school, and sports, and your social life, and stuff going on at home, that you may find it hard to focus because you feel like you could burst into tears at any moment. On those days, go home, put your pjs back on, and crawl back into bed. It won't be the end of the world if you miss a class or a practice. Your mental health is much more important than that.
5. Your mom is right. About everything.— I never wanted to admit this one, but I always knew it was true. She's been there. She knows. Even if it seems like she is trying to ruin your life, she's probably just trying to prevent you from making the same mistakes that she once did, or she's trying to protect you from getting hurt. Listen to her.
6. Don't let anyone pressure you into anything that you aren't ready for. You WILL regret it.— I will admit that there have been multiple times in my life where I let someone else push me to do something that I didn't want to do. Don't let anyone pressure you like that. You are your own person and you don't have to prove anything to anyone. And if someone ever makes fun of you for not giving into the peer pressure, you don't need to be friends with them because they obviously don't respect you. Choose to surround yourself with people that support and respect you and your morals.
7. You have plenty of time to grow up.— High school is about finding yourself, whoever you may be. There is no need to rush into things because you have a lifetime to be an adult but only four more years of being a child. Don't take it for granted because soon, you'll blink and it will all be over.
8. Challenge yourself. You can do it.— You really can do anything you put your mind to. No dream is too big. With some things, you will try so hard to succeed, but you'll still fail. It's a fact of life. However, you will learn so much just by putting yourself out there and trying to do something that seems impossible, that you will grow and learn from your failure.
9. Boys suck.— I'm sorry I have to tell you this, but they do. (You'll probably figure out what I mean by this one on your own. And when you do, grab a tub of ice cream and go re-read #2.)
10. If none of these other tips help you, reach out to someone.— If you EVER need anything, whether you're struggling with friends, or school, or family, or anything in between, your friends should always be willing to help. Surround yourself with people who genuinely care about you. (Oh and make sure you keep in touch with these friends even when you go off to college.)
I know that high school is hard, I went through four, long years of it. But, those years was also four of the best years of my life. I met some of my best friends in high school and honestly, lots of them didn't even go to school with me. I want you to know that no matter what happens these next four years, you will be okay. You're going to have the time of your life. In four years when you graduate, you won't recognize the person you are right now.
