I finally turned 19! I can't believe that my last year being a teenager is over in another year, when I turn 20. It's so weird to think back to when I first turned a 'true' teenager at thirteen. I remember being a naïve and stubborn teenager, contrary to what I thought I was which was open-minded and accepting. But it's interesting to look back at a decade and reflect upon it because at ten-years-old, it's not really in the conscious to reflect on memories that you barely remember. But at 19, this is the first time you have firm beliefs and a relative stance on who you are as well as the skill to reflect and comprehend the experiences that you went through. I'm excited to experience this for the first time.

Because of the new things that 19 will definitely bring and the reflections that I would like to do, I want to take it slow for 19. The later years of being a teenager (from about 15), for me, were spent constantly pushing myself harder and harder to do better academically. Of course, I had breather's for myself, but I was constantly in a state of worry and stress, which I hated to say or believe.

I think these stressors became one of the biggest reasons why I wasn't as social in high school as I am now in college. So, for 19, the last year of being a teenager, I want to let myself relax a little bit. I can be overly stoic and put immense pressure on myself a lot of the time, but this year, I want to do my best to reduce that and allow myself to treat and care for myself better. This might be overly dramatic for simply turning 19, which is a little fraction of my life, but I want to continue allowing myself to make mistakes and not hurt myself too much in the process.

And I know people say, "Age is just a number." But I can't help thinking about how time is going by so much faster as I get older and how I change every year. It's exciting and exhilarating when I look to the future.