What I Wish I Knew At Age 19

Here's everything everyone wish they knew at the age of 19. 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 19 year old, If you look it up online, there are a lot of free textbooks to download in ebook format online, with ebooks donated from different colleges, universities and professors. If you want to save money on textbooks, consider this option.

Hey 19 year old, Huge, high-ranking universities like MIT and Stanford have hundreds of recorded lecture series on YouTube for free, on all kinds of different degrees. If you want some help studying for something in college, these YouTube channels can help.

Hey 19 year old, If you want a deep and beautiful distraction for stress, look up images of space on NASA from https://images.nasa.gov/ It will make you think a lot, and it will help you regain wonder.

Hey 19 year old, Darkpatterns.org lists and educates you about tricks and scummy tactics used by even the most commonly used websites that make you do things you didn't mean to.

Hey 19 year old, For free vehicle manuals, look up www.justgivemethedamnmanual.com, and no it's not just for guys. Gals can also know how to fix their own car, if they choose too.

Hey 19 year old, There's a website called manualslib.com which lets you search for instruction books/manuals for any product. The website has over 2 million manuals for 40,000 brands all free to access and available to download.

Hey 19 year old, If you like art and you want a distraction for stress, look up Google Arts & Culture for free museums, that some you can even see in 3D. Look up the Smithsonian Institute too.

Hey 19 year old, if you decide to visit family/friends that are going through a rough time, consider bringing your own food and arrange your transportation, even small inconveniences can add stress in difficult times

Hey 19 year old, Romantic relationships aren't like the Sims. Doing nice things doesn't fill up a stat bar that, when full, means the person is in love with you. People are not obligated to fall in love with you if you're nice.

Hey 19 year old, Look up "different words for sugar," like dextrose, fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose and more to see on nutritional labels. Companies trick you this way!

Hey 19 year old, There is a website called haveibeenpwned.com that tells you if your email address has been involved in data breaches, which means your private information was exposed by hackers.

Hey 19 year old, Changing your stance on ideologies or major issues doesn't automatically make you a hypocrite - it means you've educated yourself further and changed your opinion based off this new information.

Hey 19 year old, Turbotaxsucksass.com is a real website that offers free tax filing, as a rebellion against corrupt websites that make you pay to file your own taxes. (By the comedy news show Patriot Act)

Hey 19 year old, If you feel like you've missed some lessons on how to be an adult from your younger years, look up the advice for 13-17 here even if it wasn't really meant for you, if you feel behind.

Hey 19 year old, If you need more in depth research for college, look up Archive.org has millions of books that are for free, and are hard to find anywhere else. Really helps your grades along the way.

Hey 19 year old, "What do you mean by that?" is a good defense if you have the feeling someone is indirectly criticizing your behavior in a conversation, or "I'm not sure what you meant," or "Help me understand."

Hey 19 year old, Look up https://pll.harvard.edu/catalog/free for free courses from Harvard online. That is, if you can take the challenge of being able to study it all on your own without a class.

Hey 19 year old, Excessive thinking about negative feelings and mental health conditions such as depression is called ruminating and it might be why we feel stuck and hopeless. Look up "rumination."

Hey 19 year old, If you experience repetitive, unwanted and disturbing thoughts like "what if I want to hurt someone?" it's a symptom of OCD - not of being a bad person. (See types of OCD online)

Hey 19 year old, Other than love languages in relationships, look up and research on apology languages too. It will help you work with conflicts in all kinds of relationships, not just romance.

Hey 19 year old, If you can't afford mindfulness or mental health apps, look up https://mobile.va.gov/appstore/mental-health for similar free apps from the army.

Hey 19 year old, If you're considering inviting someone who menstruates at home, especially someone you're in a relationship with, add a trash can in your bathroom for less awkwardness. Believe me.

Hey 19 year old, Visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/food for free if you want a free recipe site that does not have ads, does not have overly long paragraphs, and full of the best recipes.

Hey 19 year old, You can help combat child sexual abuse and sex trafficking by uploading photos of your hotel rooms to TraffickCam so they can compare it to abuse photos and validate places.

Hey 19 year old, If you're looking for an IT education, Harvard has a free certification for its online course CS50, Harvard's Introduction to Computer Science and Programming. Free certification is rare.

Hey 19 year old, If you think someone is following you, whether on foot or in a car, turn around the block to the left four times. If they're still following you, call emergency services.

Hey 19 year old, Do not be intimidated when you go to the gym, and you don't think you're fit enough to others. Even the most intimidating muscle guys/gals can be nice and answer questions.

Hey 19 year old, If you want to learn stuff through documentaries, I suggest websites like Documentary Mania and TopDocumentaryFilms. Never stop learning!

Hey 19 year old, If you're worried about the state of the world, know that you're not to blame for everything that goes wrong in the world. Do what you can, yes, but it's not all your fault.

Hey 19 year old, PS : If you want to learn more about why the world is such a mess, look up the stages of spiral dynamics, based on a psychology study by Dr. Clare Graves of the stages to maturity.