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, 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, 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, If your teacher or professor doesn't want you using Wikipedia, you can go to the References section and use Wikipedia's sources. You can see it at the bottom of the Wikipedia page, and you can make use of those instead. Take a look.

Hey 14 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 14 year old, If you're one of those aesthetic book loving teens who enjoy the artistry of classic novels, you can get a lot of free classic ebooks from Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org/) if you can't afford as many books as you want to.

Hey 14 year old, Ask yourself "What does it matter to me?" the next time you find yourself judging someone for their clothing, or interests. The more you train yourself to not care about the personal preferences of other people, the more relaxed and nicer you become.

Hey 14 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.

Hey 14 year old, When sharing your opinion on subjective topics, music, movies, food, etc. There is no need to be hostile. The music doesn't suck, you just don't like it. The pizza topping isn't horrible, you just don't like it.

Hey 14 year old, When someone shares something about themselves, don't interrupt with a relatable story about yourself. Just listen. Better yet - ask them questions about it (without interrupting).

Hey 14 year old, Safe adults don’t ask you to keep secrets from other adults. A safe secret feels exciting, is good news for somebody, and eventually will no longer be a secret, such as a surprise party or a secret present. Beware of secretive adults.

Hey 14 year old, Responding to everything with negativity is a terrible habit that's easy to fall into. Internet culture rewards us for pessimism, but during personal interactions it's a huge turn-off. Don't be surprised if friends leave if you always complain.

Hey 14 year old, If you have trouble worrying, set a worry time in a day for a specific number of minutes, then stick to that. Then whenever you worry, tell yourself you can worry during your worry time later or next time, but not the rest of the day. It works.

Hey 14 year old, LGBTQA+ topics are not just for adults to discuss. Children and teenagers can be part of the LGBTQA+ also. There's nothing inherently adult about the topic of queer people and queer culture. If you can see straight couples, why not gay couples?

Hey 14 year old, Unless your parent/s or guardian/s are complete sociopaths, if you want more freedom or you want them to buy something for you, then work hard to do all your chores. Get an app for chores if you need to. Learn to do so one by one.

Hey 14 year old, Don’t be afraid to lose people. Be afraid of losing yourself by trying to please everyone around you. Name your point of view and don’t be afraid to lose toxic people around you after confronting them.

Hey 14 year old, Create a separate "Future Me" identity, and go out of your way to do nice things for them. Easiest form of self-care I've found. Do something nice for your future self, and treat your future self like a best friend, even if it's your tomorrow self.

Hey 14 year old, Try new things but don't do because of peer pressure believe in yourself

Hey 14 year old, pay attention to those that surround you - it may be hard and feel unnatural because you don't really care at the moment, but even a bit of attention can make your family happier.

Hey 14 year old, your emotions are what make you human. they're the way you react to the world. you'll be a hell of a lot more content with yourself if you let your emotions show, no matter what they are. you're allowed to have feelings. don't forget that.

Hey 14 year old, high school is scary. don't feel like you need to be the person next to you. be your own person and people like you will surround you.

Hey 14 year old, They're using you. You may not be able to explain it, but they're using you. "They're" could be a variety of people, but just know that they're using you.

Hey 14 year old, if you're feeling so bad that you want to give up and quit the nightmare we call life, remember that everything happens for a reason. You might not see it right away, but trust me. You'll understand it all someday. Have patience.

Hey 14 year old, Don't let anyone stop you from what you want to do, even your friends

Hey 14 year old, It's okay to do what you love but always listen to your parents with all your heart.

Hey 14 year old, You'll find your friend group, try not to let the anxiety about it keep you up at night. It's ok to be queer.

Hey 14 year old, Life is full of surprises but for me i got it in a good way . I believe my parents are a little backwards

Hey 14 year old, Yes

Hey 14 year old, If you're interested in something, don't stop practicing and doing it. If your friends tell you not to do something you're really interested in, they aren't real friends.

Hey 14 year old, Hi.

Hey 14 year old, Luis