What I Wish I Knew At Age 13

Hey 13 year old, True confidence is neither too arrogant, and neither is it too humble. Confidence is when you see yourself as equal to others, arrogance when you see yourself as above others, and insecurity when you see yourself as below others.

Hey 13 year old, If you want to see something optimistic on the news for once, go to websites like Goodnewsnetwork, Positive News, Happify Daily or Sunny Skyz. There are so many good things in the world, yet it gets less attention than bad news.

Hey 13 year old, It's okay to leave some friends behind, or anyone else who is causing pain in your life whatsoever. Sometimes, unlike in the movies, not everyone makes up in the end, and that's okay. Friends come and go. Some stay. Most leave.

Hey 13 year old, As a teenage girl, even when you're 13, there are many creeps out there. If you feel threatened in any way, carry some pepper spray, a strong flashlight to temporarily blind them, or even a stun gun. If your parents sympathize, ask them to buy some.

Hey 13 year old, Don't feel the need to compete with your own gender, on whether it's as a girl on who is the prettiest, or it's as a guy on who is the toughest. Women can lift each other up without being catty. Men can lift each other up without being gay.

Hey 13 year old, If you've seen people who are trying yoga and you want to try yourself, look up "yoga for teens," or "yoga for teenagers," and try what you find online. If videos are more clear to you, look up videos on the subject online if you want to start.

Hey 13 year old, If you're stressed, find a place where you can visualize a calming place for you. It can be a forest, a beach, or even something imaginary like a floating castle. Then visualize what you see, what you hear, what you touch, smell and taste.

Hey 13 year old, If you want to find some fun ways to relax, look up on "mindfulness games for kids," to try. Mindfulness is a way to become more present so you don't worry too much about the past or the future. It can really help when you're stressed.

Hey 13 year old, If you need help researching for school, look up "Research websites for kids," or "educational websites for kids." Because the one for adults or even older teenagers are a bit too complicated to understand, and it would be boring anyway.

Hey 13 year old, If you have some questions about health and on your body, the website Kidshealth can help a lot in answering your different questions. If it's confusing, and that includes your emotional health, you can check that out on the site also.

Hey 13 year old, If you want, you can look for "exercises for kids," or "fun exercise games," if you want a way to get moving, especially if you can't sit still. You can look for a lot of indoor workouts and exercises for kids, as well.

Hey 13 year old, Some basic ways to improve your physical health is to learn about the basics of the science of nutrition, such as the different vitamins and minerals, as well as what food has each. It's taught in school, but almost everyone forgets it.

Hey 13 year old, If vegetables are hard to eat, just eat at least one vegetable a day. Don't like a type of food? Try one bite of that food at the very least, and see if you like it. Just for one each day. Then over time, you'd find out what vegetables you like.

Hey 13 year old, If you're worried about the world and what's on the news today, look up "volunteering ideas for kids," or "volunteering ideas for teens," if you want an extra challenge. Doing something active helps calm you down better than watching the news.

Hey 13 year old, If you want help calming down, try looking up "calming games," or "relaxing games," online. There are more of these types of games beyond just Animal Crossing, if you're into that kind of game. Try looking up "Zen games," too.

Hey 13 year old, Make a mental health first aid kit to gather the things that calm you down. It can be sentimental photos, toys like rubix cubes, plushies, accessories, pillows, calming notes, journals, coloring materials, stickers, geeky collectibles, and so on.

Hey 13 year old, Fidget toys, such as fidget cubes, fidget spinners, pop its, stress balls, ASMR sensory toys, slime, and so on, can be really useful when you need a way to relieve stress, especially if you're always fidgeting when you're staying in one place.

Hey 13 year old, Bring a good luck charm around you. It doesn't matter if it's real or not. Whether it's due to the placebo effect or actual magic, it'll help you gain confidence if you bring something around you like that. Imagination can really give you confidence.

Hey 13 year old, I know, we’re the same, but listen. Just do it, ask them out, I wish I had. I’ve fucked up by not, and I don’t want you to feel that same pain.

Hey 13 year old, You can look up mindfulness for kids online to help you calm down, or if you want something for grown ups, just look for a 5 minutes or 10 minutes guided meditation on YouTube.

Hey 13 year old, The Barbie vlogs on YouTube actually have some decent advice on mental health aimed for kids, especially little girls or anyone else who might be into that. Surprisingly helpful advice for older people too. Yes, she has an official YouTube channel.

Hey 13 year old, As people get older, it's harder for people to try new things, whether it's as small as trying a new type of food or as big as traveling somewhere else. Don't lose your curiosity for trying new things as you get older. Don't get too old fashioned.

Hey 13 year old, If you have hobbies you enjoy now, take time to remember them as you grow up, and don't lose them by becoming too distracted with work. As people get older, some people can start losing their interests to fit in with others, so don't.

Hey 13 year old, Talking about female puberty is not just for adults, when male puberty is treated as something for preteens and teens. Talking about female puberty is for preteen and teen girls too. Have any questions? Ask it or ask google.

Hey 13 year old, If your parents separate in a divorce, know that you don't have to spend your time trying to pick sides in trying to please them. That's for the adults to figure it out themselves, and they shouldn't let their kids fix their problems.

Hey 13 year old, Not everyone on the internet is telling the truth. If everyone else seems to have it good, then usually they're lying about it or they're hiding something by distracting you with only the good side of their lives. Maybe you do the same to them.

Hey 13 year old, If you don't have the stereotypically happy and perfect family of one father, one mother, two or more children (not adopted), and a stable home, know that it's normal and natural. Different families exist, but people don't talk about them.

Hey 13 year old, Learn to enjoy your childhood while it lasts. Don't grow up too soon. When you're older and have more responsibilities, you'll likely regret not savoring childhood, so enjoy it as much as possible.

Hey 13 year old, Heyyy

Hey 13 year old, It's annoying to clean your room or clean all kinds of things, but if you're feeling stressed, you're going to feel much more stressed in a cluttered and disorganized environment.