To the girls with no guidance. To the girls who are struggling through adolescence. To the girls who are afraid to open up to their friends. To the girls who are lost. To the girls who wish they had an older sister to talk to. I'll be just that.
High school isn't as important as you think it is.
Not in the academic sense. Trust me, high school is one of the most important times in your life academically. However, socially, it means nothing. The "popular" kids will never be considered as such once they graduate. Don't change your entire lifestyle to fit in with these kids, it's not worth it. That being said, don't feel as if you can't be friends with whoever you want to be friends with. Whether the people who make you happy go to parties or march in the band, what's important is the fact that they make you happy. Don't torture yourself over your social status, none of it matters after graduation.
Study!
Don't waste your time in high school. This is your only shot at a good future (no pressure intended). In all seriousness, learn how to balance your social and academic life. This'll come in handy in college too. If you have a big paper that's in need of revision, hand it in early. Get it done and over with. I can't stress how important it is to kick procrastination in the ass while you can. This way, you can go hang out with your friends on the weekend. However, if you are a huge procrastinator (like me) and can't physically bring yourself to do your work ahead of time, recognize it. If your friends ask you to hang out on a Sunday night when you have a paper due Monday morning that you didn't even start yet, set your priorities straight. You'll have plenty of opportunities to hang out with your friends, but only one chance to ace your paper. This brings me to my next piece of advice.
FOMO isn't a good thing.
FOMO, or fear of missing out, is the hardest part of balancing your social and academic life. Trust me when I say that the party you're going to instead of staying in and studying isn't worth the F on that test. People will post on social media, it'll look like such a fun time. In reality, it's just a bunch of sweaty high school kids chugging beers and taking pictures in the basement. I know you don't want to miss the opportunity to be a rebellious kid and drink, but let's be real, beer bellies are not cute. I think you can miss one party here and there to do something else. Hang with your family and friends who didn't get invited to the party, value your time with these people.
Family is important.
You probably won't realize this until you live away from them, but your family is such a significant part of your life. You're not too cool for your parents and you're not too mature to hang out with your pesky little brother. Truth is, your little brother looks up to you. He loves you so much and would do anything to help you out. Think of how you would feel if the person who looked up to you shut you out of their lives? Learn tolerance. It's something you're going to need sooner or later, might as well practice it early on. As for your parents, they're the people who are going to be there for you no matter what. When you're having roommate problems or boy problems, they're the first people who are giving you advice. That is, if you let them. Your parents know you better than anyone in the world and can give you life changing advice, or at least temporary relief in your situation. I highly suggest building your relationship with your family now, while you can still see them every day. You're going to miss that.
Less is more.
Especially in the world of makeup. Let's be real, when you're first introduced into the world of makeup, you want to try everything possible. Blue eye shadow only looks good if you know how to properly apply it, and honestly, you're not a professional. Not yet, at least. Don't get me wrong, if makeup is your passion, then don't stop it because someone said it's too much. Practice makes perfect, but maybe keep it minimal around other people while you're still practicing. Most importantly, don't wear it just to impress someone. You're much prettier without it on and you'll feel a lot more confident knowing that you don't have to lean on this product just to step outside your house. As someone who grew up using makeup everyday, I wish I hadn't. My skin probably wouldn't be as bad and overall I would feel a lot more secure with myself if I knew that I could be accepted naturally. Do what makes you happy, but just know that you don't need it.
Nobody will be there for you, but you.
Sure, certain people may show their support at times when you need it, but learn to rely heavily on yourself. How someone else lives and the decisions they make is something you have no control over. You need to understand that the only person who is going to look out for your best interest is you, no one else is going to go out of their way to make sure you feel comfortable. Learn to make decisions based off of how you want the outcome to be. Don't let other people sway you in one way or another, think long and hard about what makes you happy and react based off of that. Don't stress over the things you can control. And in your life, you can control everything.
Learn to be accepting of yourself.
This is the hardest thing for anyone to do. You'll spend your entire life trying to figure out who you are, you are ever-changing. It's perfectly normal to question your feelings, but never doubt yourself. You are who you are, who's to say you aren't normal? Don't make yourself uncomfortable to fit society's views of how you're supposed to be. No matter how hard you try to fit in, you'll never be happy unless you make yourself happy.
