Dear younger self,
You’re in high school, and you’re feeling like a failure. So this is my Dear younger self, written just for you. You’ve been struggling through classes, and the only way you know how to deal with that is by keeping yourself busy all the time. You’re not sure what you want to do with your life, so you just keep going through the motions. I understand that it’s hard to see light at the end of this particular tunnel. But trust me: things get better. And there are ways out of this darkness; don’t worry about them now but do know they exist if times get really tough (spoiler alert: they will).
You are not a failure.
Dear Younger Me,
I know you feel like a failure right now. You think that because you didn’t get all A’s and are having trouble finding work after graduating, it means that all your hard work was for nothing and that all those hours spent studying were pointless. But let me tell you something: YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!
In fact, even if we look at this from an objective perspective (which I know is difficult for people), there is no such thing as failure in general terms; only learning experiences and opportunities to grow. No one can learn everything at once–not even Albert Einstein who said “If I had only one hour left before I died I would spend it reading.” He was still learning his entire life long after he had achieved fame through his groundbreaking theories on relativity theory and quantum mechanics among others – he once said “I am always doing that which I cannot do yet.”
It’s also important to remember that while mistakes might seem like they’re permanent because they happened yesterday/last week/last month etc., they’re really just temporary setbacks until we choose not let them define us anymore by either letting go of negative thoughts about ourselves or dealing with whatever’s causing these feelings so they don’t happen again!
It’s OK to be afraid.
Dear Younger Self,
It’s OK to be afraid. In fact, it’s normal and healthy for humans to feel fear in certain situations. Fear can be helpful: it tells us when we are in danger and motivates us to get out of harm’s way. But sometimes our fears take over and stop us from doing things that would be good for us or others–like going after a job promotion or asking someone out on a date (or both).
Fear also makes us more likely to make bad decisions because our brains become focused on the worst possible outcome instead of all the possible outcomes; this means that if there is even one chance in ten thousand that something good will happen as well as nine chances in ten thousand that something bad will happen then our brains will focus only on those nine chances and ignore all else!
It’s OK to be angry.
Dear me,
It’s OK to be angry. Anger is a natural response to injustice, and if you’re not angry about something, you probably don’t care enough about it. Anger can motivate us to take action and make change happen–but it’s also important not to let our anger control us or get us down so much that we stop doing what needs doing.
Life will get better, but not right away.
I know you’re feeling down right now, but I promise life will get better. Just because things are hard doesn’t mean they can’t get better. It takes time to heal, it takes time to find your way and it takes time to get back on your feet. You’ll find that voice again eventually, or maybe even a new one altogether! And when you do finally figure out what matters most in this world–what drives you, what makes life worth living–it will be worth all those years spent searching for yourself in all the wrong places (and people).
Get help when you need it.
If I could write a letter to my younger self, it would be this:
Get help when you need it.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from people who are close to you–your friends and family members, especially. But even if they don’t have experience with mental illness, they may know someone who does or can point you in the direction of someone who does. And if all else fails? There are options out there that don’t involve talking about what’s bothering you directly; consider going on medication (if appropriate), joining an online support group for others with similar experiences as yours, or seeking out therapy through an organization like The Trevor Project where confidentiality is guaranteed.[1]
It’s OK to want more out of life.
Dear Younger Self,
It’s OK to want more out of life. It’s not your fault that you were born into a world that sets impossible standards for success and happiness and then punishes those who don’t measure up by calling them “losers” or “failures.” And it doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with you if you sometimes feel like a failure or loser. It just means that there are lots of other people who feel this way too–and they’re probably right: You’re not alone!
Don’t worry about what other people think either; they have their own problems (and some of them probably aren’t even thinking about yours). Try not to judge yourself too harshly either–everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Sometimes we don’t even realize how much harm our actions may cause until later down the road when everything seems so much worse than it actually was at first glance…but remember: This only makes sense because we’ve been conditioned from birth into thinking in these ways!
Don’t let anyone tell you who you are or what you should be doing with your life – ever!
Dear younger self,
I know it’s hard to be a teenager and not have anyone tell you who you are or what you should be doing with your life. But trust me; this is the best advice I can give: don’t let anyone tell you who you are or what you should be doing with your life – ever! You might think it’s fun when someone tells you how cool they think their band is, but that person isn’t going anywhere in life and neither is their band (which will probably break up soon anyway).
If someone does try telling me something like that again, my response would be something like this: “I’m sorry but I don’t think so.”
Just remember that if you are not happy with something in your life, there is always room for improvement
Dear younger self,
I know you’re angry. I know that sometimes life seems like it isn’t fair and no matter how hard you try, the world won’t listen to your wishes. But remember that if something isn’t working out in your life, there is always room for improvement. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed or even just talk about what’s on your mind with someone who cares about you!
You might think that being sad is weak or makes others uncomfortable but trust me when I say that this feeling will pass eventually (and probably sooner than later). Don’t let yourself get stuck in an emotional rut by ignoring how others are feeling around them–just remember: everyone has bad days sometimes!
Conclusion
If I could write a letter to my younger self, it would be filled with all the things I wish I knew as soon as possible. It is true that life can be really hard sometimes, but there are ways around this! You don’t have to go through everything alone – there are plenty of resources out there that can help you make sense of what’s going on in your head and give you some perspective on life (like this blog post).
