What I Wish I Knew At Age 15

Hey 15 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 15 year old, If you struggle with negative thoughts, learn to "reframe your negative thoughts." (Look up this phrase online.) How would a more optimistic person see the same situation?

Hey 15 year old, If people always come to you to listen to your problems, know it's because they just want to be listened to. You don't have to offer a solution to their problems, or advice. It's OK.

Hey 15 year old, Not everyone wants to party during specific holidays or even their birthdays. It's okay to have a chill quiet celebration, of whatever the day is celebrating. It's fine. Don't force parties.

Hey 15 year old, People aren't necessarily not interested in talking to you if they lack eye contact. It could mean social anxiety, autism, cultural differences, other anxiety disorders, and more.

Hey 15 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 15 year old, Learn to think long-term. Ask, "How would this decision affect me 5 years from now?", "10 years from now?" "20 years from now?" You will know what will matter and what does not.

Hey 15 year old, Whatever social issues you like to talk about on the internet, study the history of that social issue, from older times to more recent times. Frequent visits to Wikipedia is recommended.

Hey 15 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 15 year old, Hey I am 26 years old

Hey 15 year old, Here's a simple visualization to add to deep breathing exercises (look up "how to do deep breathing," for more details.) Slowly breathe in love, and breathe out stress. Add any colors if it helps. For example, breathe in white and breathe out black.

Hey 15 year old, If you have test anxiety, take deep breaths slowly from the belly before and during the test. (Look up "deep breathing exercises for more"). If you need to motivate yourself, look up "study affirmations," or "school affirmations" to pick you up.

Hey 15 year old, As a teenage girl, even when you're 15, 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 15 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 15 year old, Sometimes the most sexist people are people of your own gender, not the opposite gender. Women get complaints from other women that they're not "feminine enough," and men get told by men to "man up," when they cry. Don't neglect this.

Hey 15 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 15 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 15 year old, Watch videos on Youtube on common movie tropes and stereotypes like the black guy/girl who dies first, the gay best friend, the magical negro, the nerdy Asian kid, the sassy black woman, the dumb blond girl, the dumb jock, and more to examine it all.

Hey 15 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 15 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 15 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 15 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 15 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 15 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 15 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 15 year old, If you want help others, add something to your resume in college, and find a way to socialize in a very nice friendly environment, you can look up "volunteering ideas for teens," or "places to volunteer for teenagers," for some ideas.

Hey 15 year old, If you want help calming down, try looking up "calming games," or "relaxing games," online. There are more of these types of games beyond just Animal Crossing, if you're into that kind of game. Try looking up "Zen games," too.

Hey 15 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 15 year old, Trying out coloring books for adults (which are more complicated) or even coloring books for kids (which are simpler), can be a very calming task if you want to relax. You can buy some or print coloring pages online. There are even apps like this.

Hey 15 year old, If you want help finding a sense of calm wherever you go, carry a small sentimental object around you that comforts you, a lot like how a little kid will carry their favorite blankie around. You don't have to grow out of that kind of thing, you know?