Teenage years are simultaneously the toughest and the most interesting years of our lives. It’s the time that we truly get to discover ourselves and become the people that we will be for the rest of our lives. However, this process is often accompanied by a lot of mental trauma and feelings getting hurt.
So here, on the end of my teenage life, I would like to present to you the few things I wish I had known in the last seven years.
I wish I’d eaten all the fries I wanted, cause my weight doesn’t say anything about who I am.
Let go of your attachment to the people who don’t vibe with you anymore, it will all work out in the end.
Don’t fall into that trap. Do not get into the game of who has more likes on a picture or who has more hearts on their Instagram. It really doesn’t matter!
Be yourself, and forget whatever everyone else has to say.
Remember this: the time you spend alone discovering yourself and the world around you are some of the best times of your life.
If you are like me and didn’t know any of these things going into your teens, that’s okay. You must have learnt them in the duration of your teens. If you are reading this before going into your teens, I hope you realize how important it is to be yourself and love yourself first.
Written by Sanaa Mehra
Avid reader who will read anything thrown her way (provided that its fiction), Grammar Nazi to the T and a Lover of anything made by Bollywood (I mean anything.) If you're feeling sentimental, here I am!
So here, on the end of my teenage life, I would like to present to you the few things I wish I had known in the last seven years.
Your weight doesn’t determine your worth
Every single teenage girl has been through the struggle of wanting to be a certain weight. Girls, more so than boys, are told that their weight is the single most important thing about them and determines how they will be treated. Hence, we go on crazy diets and exercise ourselves to a level of obsession.I wish I’d eaten all the fries I wanted, cause my weight doesn’t say anything about who I am.
You will outgrow people
The best friend you’ve had since forever has got new friends in college and you are starting to doubt your friendship. Your group of friends now seem shallow to you and you don’t enjoy their company anymore. But you’re scared to distance yourself from them cause you believe you might not be able to do better.Let go of your attachment to the people who don’t vibe with you anymore, it will all work out in the end.
Social media is a farce
This is the most important thing that I wish I had known in my teens. People are going to show off the best parts of their lives on social media and you will start comparing your life to them.Don’t fall into that trap. Do not get into the game of who has more likes on a picture or who has more hearts on their Instagram. It really doesn’t matter!
You don’t have to try so hard to fit in
Being a part of a group, going out every Saturday night, having a certain number of likes on your profile picture is something that is widely encouraged in the teen years. Even though we may not feel up to it, we do it anyway because we do not want to seem uncool and friend-less.Be yourself, and forget whatever everyone else has to say.
Being alone doesn’t mean you’re lonely
People will look at you pityingly when they see you spending time alone with yourself. They will give you such looks that will make you think that spending time alone is the worst possible thing you could ever do.Remember this: the time you spend alone discovering yourself and the world around you are some of the best times of your life.
If you are like me and didn’t know any of these things going into your teens, that’s okay. You must have learnt them in the duration of your teens. If you are reading this before going into your teens, I hope you realize how important it is to be yourself and love yourself first.
Written by Sanaa Mehra
Avid reader who will read anything thrown her way (provided that its fiction), Grammar Nazi to the T and a Lover of anything made by Bollywood (I mean anything.) If you're feeling sentimental, here I am!