Dear Freshman Year me,
This is your older self writing a letter to you. It seems that you have gotten into the highschool of your dreams–congrats! I definitely have to say that there will be a LOT of bumps along your journey, not only school but also personal ones. So I’ve decided to tell you some important things that you should know:
- Don’t be so hard on yourself: it won’t help you in the future and definitely won’t help your mental health. Take your time to get to know what subjects you struggle in and don’t bully your brain about being ‘stupid’ in this subject, because you are amazing!
- Make yourself a structured schedule: Yeah I know it’s hectic, but by making a list of things you have to do and a chronological order of how you are going to do them (including breaks) will help you a lot!
- When you are feeling panicked/nervous/not sure– ask for help: Yes there will be unhelpful people at times and subjects, but be insistent on your breaks and mental health. You must put yourself first before your assignments. You can always ask your parents/guardians to write a letter to the teacher if they won’t cooperate.
- Watch your mental health: There’s a lot of traumatic things that might come your way, so always have a support group of trusted friends and family that can be there for you.
- MAKE FRIENDS: Not everyone here is in a competition to beat you at a subject or specific academy, friends are important and will bring more positivity, light, help and love into your life. Constantly surrounding yourself with doubts, fear and scrutiny of other people will not make you happier. Try to open yourself a little bit.
- Try new things and discover small new likes: Find new things that you may like, don’t limit yourself from discovering new hobbies or new activities that you like to do! Try them out as electives or clubs, and if you don’t like those, don’t fret! You can try something new next trimester or drop the elective!
The thing is, doubt is the most catastrophic element that will try to ‘guide’ you. Don’t let it do that to you! Try new things and talk to new people and stand up for your right of mental health and freedom of speech! Do what you love and be yourself!
Love,
Your senior self