Dear High School Me,

I really wish I could grab you by the shoulders and shake some sense into you. You're doing just fine, don't get me wrong, but there are so many things that I wish you knew right now. If you knew what I know now, I promise you'd be doing things a lot differently.

1. Don't push away your friends.

I know it feels like the boy in your life is all that matters. You're young and hopelessly in love, and that's okay, but don't forget about the people that were there before him. There will come a day when there is an "after him," and you're going to need all the love and support in the world to get through that. The friends that you're pushing away now are some of the ones that are going to get you through that, so keep them close and don't take them for granted.

2. Set aside time for your family.

I wish I could scream this at you. No matter how annoying they may seem, or how early you have to wake up to go to family reunions, put on a smile and enjoy those special moments with them. They aren't going to be around forever, and before you know it you'll be wishing you had a chance to go back and experience all of those little moments again.

3. When he tells you he has feelings for another girl, end it.

You're in love with him, I get that. But for your sake and mine, the second he tells you that he has feelings for someone who is not you, break up with him. Under no circumstances should a girl have to listen to her boyfriend talk about how pretty another girl is, or how much he likes her, or how he wishes you could be more like her. I know he'll say he's sorry and that it won't ever happen again, and no matter how much you want to believe him, it will happen again- and again. It'll hurt like hell, but believe it or not, doing it now will make it a lot less painful than putting it off (unfortunately, I found this out the hard way).

4. When you go to the Y to workout, actually work out.

This is a habit I wish you would've started a long time ago. Yeah, exercise isn't exactly fun, but neither is being overweight and on track to develop diabetes. You'll figure out the benefits of working out in college, but it would be helpful if you could just start that now.

5. Stay in church.

Right now, it's sleeping over at a friend's house on Saturday night that's stopping you. Next month, it'll be a homework assignment that you forgot to do. Next year, it'll be a big test on Monday that you have to cram for. Before you know it, you will have gone through every excuse in the book for why you're missing service when in reality you don't have one at all. You are going to go through some pretty tough times, and the only person who can truly bring you peace during that is the big guy upstairs, so don't put him on the back burner until you decide you need him.

Your entire life is going to change before you know it. Friends will come and go, your heart will get broken, you'll question yourself, and just when you think that nothing is ever going to go your way again, you'll realize that you're doing okay. Put a brave face on, smile, and hold on to the things that matter most.

Buckle up, girl—you're in for one heck of a ride.