What I Wish I Knew At Age 14

Here's everything everyone wish they knew at the age of 14. If it's good advice, hit the upvote button. The number next to it indicates the age the author wrote it at. Feel like there's something missing? Add a new message!

Hey 14 year old, If you like animals and you're stressed, look up https://explore.org/livecams for live videos of animals from different places worldwide. Animals can be very healing, after all.

Hey 14 year old, Two less talked about symptoms of ADHD are poor mood regulation and rejection sensitivity, which means poor emotional control and extreme anxiety around rejection more than the norm.

Hey 14 year old, Different people have different tolerance levels of suffering/enduring hardships and comparing different situations is not always helpful. "Others are starving in Africa" doesn't help.

Hey 14 year old, You'd be surprised how much practical life advice you can find on Wikipedia. There are Wikipedia pages for love, relationships, friendship, adolescence, puberty, emotions and more.

Hey 14 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 14 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 14 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 14 year old, Contrary to societal expectations, mental health and happiness increases with age according to scientific studies. If you feel horrible these days, know things get better as you get older.

Hey 14 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 14 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 14 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 14 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 14 year old, Just because people look confident and look sociable, doesn't mean they don't have anxiety like you. Chances are everyone is hiding their anxiety as good as you are.

Hey 14 year old, When it comes to social issues and inequality, know you're never too young to make a difference. When you're older, people will tell you you're too old to make a difference.

Hey 14 year old, Try try but don't cry

Hey 14 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 14 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 14 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 14 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 14 year old, If you're the artistic type, know that writing poetry or even reading poetry can help you make sense of your emotions. Look up the website Family Friend Poems for example, Button Poetry on YouTube, or the Ted-Ed poem playlist.

Hey 14 year old, As a teenage girl, even when you're 14, 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 14 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 14 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 14 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 14 year old, If you want a free easy way to relax, look up "mindfulness activities for teens." Mindfulness is a way to become more present so you don't worry too much about the past or the future. If it's too hard, look up "mindfulness games for teens."

Hey 14 year old, Mental illness is not something to brag about or is a sign of lovable quirkiness. It's not a type of disease you idealize, as much as people shouldn't idealize cancer. Look up "romanticization of mental illnesses," on YouTube for more.

Hey 14 year old, If high school makes you nervous, then look up "tips for high school students," or "advice for high school students" to research. Look up educational YouTube channels like Crash Course too. Really helped me since it's so clear.

Hey 14 year old, If you have some questions about health and your body, the website Kidshealth (for teens too) 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 14 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 14 year old, Scientifically, even a 10 minute walk has a lot of major benefits already, not just to the body, but to one's mood and brain. If hard physical exercise seems hard to maintain, at least begin with a short walk daily. You can listen to music too.