It will get easier. It will also get harder. But it will get better.

I didn't know what it meant to be happy for the longest time. I thought it was making sure I had enough followers on Instagram or enough friends to text after school. That is not happiness. That is your own insecurities being overlooked because if other people like you, then you automatically like yourself. That should never be the case. I have learned quite the opposite. You will not suddenly feel happy and loved just from other's validation. You may think that is the answer, but it is a mask. You should be your own favorite person in this world. You are the only person whose behaviors and choices you can control. You are the only person that completely and 100% understands yourself. So why aren't you your own biggest fan?

Cheer yourself on, hype yourself up. Love yourself. It is okay to do that, you know. Don't let the people around you determine how you view yourself. Do you like your hair, or do you only wear it that way because others like it that way? Do you really like that shirt, or did American Apparel convince you that you did? Ask yourself this with everything you do. Make sure you do things in this life for your own benefit, especially when you're young.

Don't be afraid to stick up for what you believe in. As long as what you say isn't hurting anyone, scream it so loud that no one can ignore you. Stick up for yourself. I know its easier to be the nice, passive girl, but one day it will bite you in the ass. Don't let people, especially your friends, walk all over you. Don't let boys either. Don't let anyone. Be strong in yourself.

Just do it. Hair will grow back and broken hearts will eventually mend. Don't live your life tiptoeing around the things you want to do. Better to look back with regret than to wonder what-if. Still, proceed with caution. Not every impulsive decision is a good one. Most aren't. But you are young enough to correct your mistakes. Just be careful, be safe, and never try to dye your hair red on your own ever again.

Write it out. I never knew how helpful writing could really be. Looking back, writing would've helped me a lot if I had tried it sooner. Write down your problems, insecurities, write an Odyssey article that you'll never publish. Its okay to have private thoughts and its okay to put them in writing.

Stop hating yourself. If you don't like who you are right now, change it. Simple as that. There is nothing about yourself that you shouldn't like, but if there is, work on it. Don't like your butt? Hit the gym and do some squats. Don't like your nose? They invented contour for a reason. Don't like your shirt? Get rid of it. There is nothing wrong with how you are now, but if there are things you'd like to change, then change them.

Don't be afraid to unplug. Even now, I struggle staying off twitter for more than a few hours at a time. (Not because I care about the people I know, I'm mostly waiting for Ed Sheeran to tweet me back.) Its okay to disconnect from the world. Its healthy. Try it sometime.

Stop being so afraid of everything. Are there things in this world that can hurt you? Yes, but that shouldn't stop you from living your life. Take a risk or two or three hundred. It most likely won't kill you, and it will give you some great stories to tell.

Now, I realize this is titled An Open Letter To My Younger Self, but I can still learn for this now, as well as in the future. Who knows? Maybe I'll be 45 and looking back at this article and remember that its okay to love myself (but not okay to dye my hair red with box color).