Advice to my High School Self

It’s pretty crazy when you sit back and look at how fast time really goes by. My 10 year high school reunion is THIS MONTH and it’s got me feeling alllll the feels.

I can still remember being a senior in high school – extremely vividly. It honestly feels like yesterday ( am I going to be saying that my entire life? Probably ).

High school was such an interesting time for me – as it is for everyone. Part of me LOVED every second of it, and another part of me had a really difficult time. Between best friends, mean girls, crushes, stupid boys, AP classes, student government, dances, rallies, football games, broken hearts, and many a sleepless nights, there were many highs and lows.

As I scroll through my reunion’s Facebook page and see everyone commenting, it really puts into perspective how small those moments that felt SO BIG at the time truly are now that we’re all 10 years older.

There are so many things that I’d love to go back and change, and yet so many things that I’m thankful for today – even though they felt like the end of life as I knew it at the time.

I thought it would be fun to put a little list together of things I would tell high school me knowing what I know now.

Embrace your family – as soon as you move out of the house for college, you never stop missing them, and being at home is never truly the same. Spend as much time with them as you can <3
IGNORE THE BOYS – they’re 10/10 a waste of time. Sure, they make things interesting – but your future husband isn’t even from California…so ignore them and guard your heart a little better. And just know that Beyonce drops an album called Lemonade that really would have helped you with ignoring stupid boys and embracing your inner badass, but that’s a ways away – so just trust me on this one.
IGNORE THE MEAN GIRLS – the second you graduate you never see them again and they have 0 impact on your life whatsoever. Again, just about as big of a waste of time & energy as the boys, if not more. Smile and laugh at whatever they say 🙂
WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!! I have written about this topic ENDLESSLY (hello Olay Sun with SPF) because high school me loved to tan her face on the beach – SANS SPF!!!! Big mistake. Your beautiful skin DOES catch up to you and you spend lots of hours trying to fix it. If you had discovered Olay Sun back in the day, crisis would be completely averted 😉
Try out for all the sports and all the plays! Your stage-fright never goes away, but you do end up realizing that no one is really that concerned with what you’re doing – they’re concerned with themselves. So it’s not “all eyes on you” if you fail – you have nothing to lose. Only to gain. Do all the things.
You never really figure out your side bangs but it’s okay.
Stop wearing your Uggs to school!!!!! They’re meant for being comfy at home only!!!
Don’t be so nervous about getting in trouble. Have fun 🙂
Keep going all out for all the dress up days, football games, basketball games, and whatever else you can dress up for. Those are your favorite memories.
Don’t live off of soda, bagels, snack mix, spicy chicken sandwiches, giant fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and nachos! Eat some veggies girls!
Your obsession for designing myspace layouts eventually leads you to your dream career…so don’t worry that you’re getting in trouble for being on the computer too much!
Don’t post annoying comments on Myspace!!!!!!
Don’t post annoying statuses once you get a Facebook!!!!!
Don’t post annoying videos on Facebook!!!!!!
Explore more college options, there’s so many amazing universities out there!!
Keep going on midnight drive by’s to all of your crushes houses with your friends – you never stop reminiscing on how fun they were.
Pay more attention in your history classes – you end up LOVING history.
Ask more questions about saving money…it takes you a LONG time to get this on your own!
Study harder! You do well in school with minimal effort, but you’ll look back and wish you cared just a little bit more.
AGAIN – WEAR SPF EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE!!!!!

I think that’s it for now, but writing that list opened up a TON of things I’d love to go back and tell myself. Hindsight is 20/20, and always will be…which is why I always try to think about what FUTURE me would tell CURRENT me.

If there’s one thing that’s for sure – I’ve definitely tried to take control of my health and wellness routines. It’s not something I grew up realizing was so important, but skincare, eating well, sticking to a workout routine – it’s all so important to regulate earlier than later in life.

My skin is slowly but surely recovering from all the damage I caused it in high school, but we’ve still got a ways to go!

Using SPF daily has been one of the key factors in reversing the sun damage – if only little old high school me knew better.

What are some things you’d tell YOUR high school self? Comment below!