What I Wish I Knew At Age 13

Here's everything everyone wish they knew at the age of 13. The number next to it indicates the age the author wrote it at.

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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 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'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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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're open to it, keep a diary, whether it's in a physical notebook or a diary/journal app, if not both. When you get older, you can be able to look back and keep all the precious memories of your youth. Even a few sentences a day is good.

Hey 13 year old, If you're feeling stressed, think and savor the happiest moments of your life, and keep those memories with you as you get older. Some people lose touch of those memories to the extent that remembering how to be happy gets more difficult.

Hey 13 year old, Just Focus Your study and no tension

Hey 13 year old, Everyone is going through something difficult in their life, and it's important to know even the most perfect looking people are doing something. Doesn't excuse everything, but remember.

Hey 13 year old, Remember that lying about things will get you caught sooner or later. The more you lie, the harder it is to cover all the lies up. Inevitably, you will get into trouble soon enough.

Hey 13 year old, Most of the time, people aren't thinking of you. Most people are just thinking of themselves, and this is confirmed by smart scientists. People are also worried about what others think.

Hey 13 year old, Not every old person is a close minded boomer. Listen to the open minded elders around you, and give their opinions a chance. Some old people can still be young at heart.

Hey 13 year old, It's okay to be normal. There are much worse things in the world than just being normal. It's okay to have a normal life, and that doesn't mean you have less value than those who don't.

Hey 13 year old, You can judge the maturity and trustworthiness of people around you by how nice they are to service people, like those in retail, restaurant workers, call center agents, & so on, so be nice.

Hey 13 year old, It's good if you're smart, and it's great if you're a genius, but know that you're not the only smart kid in existence. Chances are you haven't met enough smart people your age yet.

Hey 13 year old, I recommend you look up the advice three years ahead in this website, such as the advice for 14 year olds, 15 year olds and 16 year olds, to prepare for it in advance if you like.

Hey 13 year old, There is a simplified English version of Wikipedia (https://simple.wikipedia.org), if you have trouble understanding the Wikipedia made for grown ups, which can be very confusing and also very boring many times.

Hey 13 year old, If you’re around this age listen to as much music as you can cause the music you listen to during those years will stick with you for life and the feeling of going back to those songs when you’re older is quite euphoric.