Being a teenager can be scary and intimidating. You are growing and trying to figure out who you are while going through so many changes. You feel like everyone expects you to be perfect all the time yet you always seem to be making mistakes. As a freshman and almost sophomore in college, I can safely say there are many life lessons I had to learn. It is my last year as a teenager and although it is super scary to grow up I think that my 19 years on earth have given me many tools to continue my growth even further. These tools were learned the hard way and sometimes I wish I could go back in time to just tell myself the life lessons I learned.

Here is what I would tell my 16-year-old self if I had the chance.

1. Your parents may know a thing or two about life

I know this one may be a little bit hard to believe and trust me I never thought they could actually have a brain. When they tell you to study more and to hang out with your friends more, you should trust them. When they hold your hand and give you advice on money and decision making, you should open your ears. They may seem old and out of touch, but they really do only want to see you succeed. Once you start to listen and take their advice, I promise you will be so much better off.

2. This is just your first love, not your last

I know that in your heart you want this boy to last forever. Trust me, he will break your heart so many times that you will start to think that this is normal. You will forgive him almost every single time and even continue to love him. One day you won't want to take it anymore and you'll be strong enough to say enough is enough. You will be so proud of yourself for saying that you deserve better. You will always love him but, it's a different kind of love. I am grateful for him making me realize who I want to be and how I want to live.

3. You will recover

You will love eating McDonald's chicken nuggets and Starbucks pink drinks. You don't think about the calories and you won't look at other women and judge. You will look at them with love and only see them for who they are. You might even get a tattoo of the national eating disorder awareness symbol on our wrist. Your self-worth will not be the number on the scale, the number of people who like you, or the number of calories you can take away per day. You will be happy with your body and not because it is stick-thin but because it is healthy and allows you to function and one day it will be able to carry children.

4. You will miss your parents…

You will miss your parents like crazy in college. You will want to call them every day (sometimes twice) just to tell them that you got assigned a project about gender. You may say that you miss your dog more, and sometimes that may be true, but deep down we all know I am daddy's little girl and hate not having my mom around to go shopping and talk gossip. Also, it will be very annoying when they don't answer your call. You are their entire world and they don't answer your phone call? That just doesn't seem right.

5. You'll join a sorority that helps women embrace their confidence

Your confidence level is shattered at the moment and it may seem like that for a little while. You are so beautiful, Ansley! I know you don't believe it right now but one day you will. One day you will have so much confidence that you actually spread confidence to others and know what you're talking about. You get to do this because of the amazing organization you're in called Kappa Delta. This will be the best decision you could have made for yourself. You'll get made fun of by people you thought loved you but you know that sorority life is not just parties and friends. The Panhellenic community is about community service and sisterhood. Kappa Delta is about building confidence and inspiring action.

6. One day you'll meet your best friend

You're a little low on the friendship department now and your best friend is that boy who keeps breaking your heart. You feel stuck in this pattern. You feel like you're going to feel like this forever and I can promise you that you won't. One day in chorus class on your freshman year of college you'll see a sorority sister wearing the same shirt as you. You'll go to target that very same day and talk about periods and our moms. She will one day be the most important person in your life. She will one day be the person you would give everything for her to be happy. You will realize what love really is and it didn't come from a boy.

7. You will be happy

You will have days that are sad and cause you to cry. You will have days that you laugh so hard you feel like you've worked out for hours. You will be happy and I mean truly happy for the first time in a while. These life lessons were hard to learn yet, at the end of the day, I am grateful that I had to go through a lot to be the person I am today. I am so proud of the person I have become and am very excited to see who I will be when I graduate college.