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

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, 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, 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, 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, stay away from cigarettes, your lungs are at stake

Hey 14 year old, sometimes it's better to just listen

Hey 14 year old, learn how to play an instrument!

Hey 14 year old, a bad grade is not the end of the line, it won't affect your entire future ;)

Hey 14 year old, *PLEASE HELP ME* I’m halfway through high school and my main group of friends have become really different. They’ve started to gossip lots (which I end up getting roped into but I hate it) and they keep sharing all my secrets. Recently, I confided

Hey 14 year old, Go do that thing you always wanted to do, go climb that building go hang out with friends or do whatever and tell those people what you always wanted to tell them :)

Hey 14 year old, Don't care about what others think of you!!

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

Hey 14 year old, It's okay to feel like you don't fit in and to feel lonely, but it's just a phase. you will experience many new things in your life, just don't run away from them rather embrace them.

Hey 14 year old, Bro don't waste your time on social media start learning and exploring it helps you in future

Hey 14 year old, Make good friends. Be nice to all. These people are with you for 1 or 2 years at most. Make sure you make nice memories even with the underdogs. Try not become introverted.

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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 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, 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 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.