Dear human,
Remember that you are human. Teenagers have it rough sometimes. Not little kids, however, not quite adults yet, we are just stuck in a weird no man's land. Everybody goes through adolescence, but each generation is different. Our parents did not have to deal with the same ever-growing pressures to be perfect on paper and in person. Understand that, and respect that. Everybody has their own challenges.
Numbers do not define you. Grades, test scores, GPA's, etc. do not make you who you are. Remember that intelligence is relative. There will always be someone who gets better grades than you, and there will be someone who gets worse grades than you. Don't compare yourself to others. Do not think that if someone gets three points better than you on an assessment, that they are inherently better and smarter and more hardworking than you. Maybe it was because they were stronger in this topic, or because they studied an extra 10 minutes, or because they got lucky. You never know. Focus on yourself. Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses, and your only job is to know, understand, and figure out your own. Bad grades are inevitable. Circumstances happen and life happens. Don't be afraid to cry about it a little bit, but don't let the numbers consume you. There is a lot of pressure nowadays to get good grades, participate in extracurriculars, spend time with your family, be healthy, engage in social society, etc. but what about you? Taking a day off to lay in bed in sweats and watch Netflix is healthy for your sanity, so do it once in a while. College and your future are important, but taking care of your mental health is crucial. Work hard, but don't kill yourself.
Numbers do not define you. Advocates scream out about how diminishing societal views are towards body image. Yet nothing is working, so it is upon you to make sure you are as confident as possible. It is hard. The size of your jeans doesn't matter. The number on the scale doesn't matter. You might have bigger bones, you might be overweight, or underweight. Your weight depends on so many factors so do not get disappointed when you gain two pounds after working out every day. Do not stress about ordering a salad instead of a pizza if you have been craving pizza all week. Indulge. If you are not confident about a certain part of your body, work on it. You can't change how tall you are or what body type you are, but there are things you can change on and improve. If you aren't happy with something, do what it takes for you to be comfortable and confident. If you want to cover up your acne with makeup, do it. If you don't, that's cool too. If dressing certain way makes you feel fantastic, the more power to you. Nobody cares what you are doing or what you look like or what you're wearing because they are more worried about themselves. Do whatever you want, as long it safe and it is true to who you are. Do not leave the house feeling less than amazing.
Nothing defines you. The beauty of being a teenager is that you are figuring out who you are and you are growing. One action does not define you. One mistake does not define you. One grade does not define you. One outfit does not define you. One social media post does not define you. You can not be defined because you are not stuck. You are a living, breathing, growing, evolving human. HUMAN. You are not a transcript, or a name on a paper, or a number. You are a teenager trying to find your way.
