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, 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, 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'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, 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, Try try but don't cry

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