What I Wish I Knew At Age 14

Here's everything everyone wish they knew at the age of 14. The number next to it indicates the age the author wrote it at.

Hey 14 year old, Remember that it's not embarrassing to ask for help. Everyone needs help. Even the strongest and responsible looking people need help. It's very brave to admit that you need help, after all.

Hey 14 year old, If you have an embarrassing moment, go read about embarrassing stories online or share and laugh about it with your friends. Learn to laugh at yourself, and know that everyone has moments like this, no matter how old people get.

Hey 14 year old, You don't have to say yes to every invite or request to go out with your friends. It's okay to say no or make an excuse to just have time in your house sometimes. It's okay to be alone sometimes.

Hey 14 year old, Everyone makes mistakes. We're human. The important thing is to learn from those mistakes, and figure out ways to prevent those mistakes. What mistakes have you made in the past? And no matter how small, what is something you can do?

Hey 14 year old, If math is becoming even more confusing these days, then look up the website khanacademy. It will help a lot. You can also check out other math websites online, but khanacademy is the easiest to understand for most.

Hey 14 year old, Try to explore positive affirmations if you want something to pick you up. You can find some online ranging for affirmations for body image, studying, self-esteem, sports, and more. It feels weird at first, but it gets easier over time.

Hey 14 year old, You're not a burden on other people. Your life has value. You matter. You're stronger than you think, more talented than you think, and smarter than you think. You have so much unexpressed potential in you waiting to come out.

Hey 14 year old, The truth is, when you worry about what others think, most people are thinking of themselves in worrying about what people think. People are obsessed with their own lives, and that's where their thoughts focus on, not you.

Hey 14 year old, If you tend to overthink your decisions too much, learn to take action more even if you make mistakes. Part of learning is gaining experience. If you tend to think without acting, learn to pause before acting. Part of learning is reflection.

Hey 14 year old, If you're thinking of doing something that you feel is bad for you, but you can't seem to stop yourself, at least try pausing for a few seconds. 60 seconds, 30 seconds, 10 seconds, it doesn't matter. At least try to pause.

Hey 14 year old, If you have trouble sleeping, count numbers in your head backwards. It can be from 100. If you're not asleep yet, count backwards from 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and so on. At least if you won't sleep, it'd block out your worries.

Hey 14 year old, Know that love is not always said directly. Sometimes people show it through actions, gifts, appreciation and favors. Though beware if people who say they love you, but don't show it in action.

Hey 14 year old, They're not always 100% accurate, of course, but if you need some place to look for who you are first, look up personality tests and personality quizzes to try. It doesn't tell you everything, but it's a good start.

Hey 14 year old, Sometimes meaning or a purpose to live can be found in enjoying the small little things in life. If you just want to accomplish a small goal, or just have a casual hobby you enjoy, that's enough reason to live. Purpose doesn't have to be grand.

Hey 14 year old, Be careful about using dark humor to ignore and run away from your problems. It's okay to have dark humor. I also like it. But when it's used to escape problems you can do something about it, however small, it becomes a problem.

Hey 14 year old, No matter what your parents or family says, psychology is a science and mental illness is real. If they don't listen, you might want to try to look for at least one single sane adult, whether it's a teacher, neighbor, aunt/uncle, and so on.

Hey 14 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 14 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 14 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 14 year old, If you like video games and looking for something to do outside technology, board games can be pretty fun. It can range from something complex like Dungeons and Dragons, or it can be something classic like Monopoly. Give it a try maybe?

Hey 14 year old, One of the wisest, if not the wisest thing about life is knowing what you don't know. It's when you admit you don't know, and ask help or ask questions, that you end up learning along the way. If you say you know everything, you know nothing.

Hey 14 year old, If you want to help in any way, whether yourself or other people, just first do the smallest thing you can do now. Then continue adding more and more small things, until it builds up into something bigger. All great things start small. Dream big.

Hey 14 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 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.

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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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.