There's something about my own birthday that gives me this overwhelming sense of dread. I can't help but feel like I'm getting closer to more responsibilities and more things to stress over. It's like I'm a modern day Peter Pan, afraid of growing up. I'm slowly approaching my 20th birthday, and I'm not quite sure how to feel. It's the end of the teen angst years, and here I am, now expected to be an adult, a REAL adult. It's as if I'm already starting to leave my best years behind, so before I open the door to my life as a twenty-something, I thought I would share what I've learned as a teenager, maybe to give some of you younglings some advice along the way.

 Thirteen: It's Okay Not to Be Okay

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When I was thirteen, I think I went through a life crisis. I learned that it's hard to express what's going on in your mind when you yourself don't even know. Being thirteen is such an awkward time, and its full of new changes, but don't do what I did. This is applicable at any age, find the courage to talk to people if you're not okay. Odds are there is someone out there dying to help you.

Fourteen: Self Expression is Necessary

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At fourteen, I fell in love with a boy who never saw me as anything more than a friend. When I say in love, I don't mean it really, but I was so infatuated with him that I might as well have been. However, I spent a lot of time trying to be something he wanted, instead of what I wanted to be. I think I would have enjoyed myself more if I had realized sooner that being what I want to give me the confidence I need in all of my relationships.

Fifteen: Sometimes, Life is Just Unfair

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Have you ever been horribly disappointed? Have you ever wanted something so much, and whether it be by chance or through someone else interfering, you couldn't attain what you were hoping for? Fifteen was the year I realized that no matter how hard you try, some things just don't work out. The most important thing to remember however, is that often times it's for the best.

Sixteen: Not Everyone is Going to Like You

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Ah yes 16, the year of crying about driving and first boyfriends. It's even harder when you're just now starting to be yourself, you realize not everyone in this world is gonna like you. You could be the kindest, funniest person in the world, and people would still find faults in you. I know it took me so long to fully come to that realization, and even now I still struggle with it.

Seventeen: Listen to Your Body

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As you grow older, there are a lot times you don't realize your body is changing, after puberty your body continues to change, so listen to when something doesn't feel right. This is in all aspects of life, if something is uncomfortable speak up. Learning to become more in tune with your body is part of growing up.

Eighteen: Perseverance Is Important

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18 is a lie. Whatever anyone told you about becoming 18 is a lie. You are not an adult, and life does not instantly become amazing. This is the year of setbacks, expenses, and goodbyes. As hard as it may seem, and no matter how much you feel like giving up, the following years are much harder, don't let yourself get lost in the craziness of it all.

Nineteen: Nothing Lasts Forever

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If I could leave you with one piece of advice, it would be this. Nothing lasts forever, so enjoy everything like it's going to be your last time. That's an extremely corny and cliche thing to say, but it's true. Nineteen was the year I learned friendships don't last. Money doesn't last. Neither do those happy moments, where you feel like everything is going to be okay.

If you're still a teen, I encourage you to make the most of every moment that you have left, being an adult is scary and not as fun as everyone said it would be, but it's an adventure we all eventually all go through together.