I'm sure some of us cringe when we think about high school. High School was just a big cloud for me to be completely honest and by that I mean, I felt like I was trapped. I was so conscious about everything I did. Whether that be my appearance, the way I acted, or the way people viewed me. I wanted to be someone I wasn't. I wish I could go back and tell the younger me so many things I know now but you live and you learn, I guess. If I could go back in time, I would tell the younger me that:

High school isn't forever so don't live these four years trying to be someone you're not.

I spent the majority of my time trying so hard to fit in and I'm not afraid to admit it. I wish I could've been my true self but I was so afraid of what everyone else thought. Being yourself is a quality no one else can take from you. It takes more of an effort to try to be someone else rather than just being you.

What someone says about you doesn't define you.

I used to take validation from others constantly. I lived my life pleasing others and when I heard something nasty that was said about me, I let it get to me so much. I wish I could tell myself that no one else knows me better than me so who are they to make accusations about me? If someone is talking badly about you, that says a lot about them on their part. How you choose to deal with the situation says a lot about you.

The friends you have Freshman most likely won't be the friends you have Senior year.

Take this with a grain of salt because there will be friends whom you'll be friends with all four years but (from my experience) the chances are slim. I realized that I remained closer to the friends I went to middle school with than the friends I made in high school. There is truly only one friend I met in high school who I still keep in contact with on a daily basis.

High school isn't forever.

I don't know why but while I was in high school everything felt so everlasting - like it was never going to end. It was the same routine over and over again and it got so overwhelming at times. I just wanted to leave. I was ready to take on a new chapter of my life which didn't involve high school (wow that sounds so sad). I was just ready to move on. I wish I could tell the younger me to be patient and just wait because high school doesn't last forever. In my head during that time, I felt like high school was going to last forever for some strange reason.

If you're in high school right now, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to do what you love. The majority of my time in high school I gave up my passions because I didn't want to seem like a coward but by doing that, I was a coward (so don't do what I did). I don't regret it but it is one of those things I look back on quite often. Do you (as long as it's not harmful) and screw what everyone thinks!