A Letter To My Teenage Self

Dear teenage me,

Fourteen is an age where you think you are beginning to understand life. You don’t. In 5 years time, you still won’t.

Right now you've just finished the Junior Cert, and don't worry, you did achieve that A in English, despite having the worst teacher in the universe. You are now transitioning into the Leaving Cert and you will find a love for French and for learning about the world around you. Soon you will become this open minded culturally aware person that you can be proud of today.

All those friends you are currently with and think are your ‘BFF’s’ believe me they are not. Most of the girls you are hanging around with will become heinous, jealous people who you really need to take a step back from. You won't realise this until your very last year in school. There's still some good people, people you can depend on and share jokes with. But you will find yourself never truly finding the definition of a best friend until you leave secondary school, but don't worry, it will be worth the wait.

You don't have to hide the fact that you're capable of getting good grades in school for the fear of people making fun of you. Be proud of it. But setting high standards for yourself will also be your biggest downfall. Even though aiming high for yourself is a good thing, it isn't in the way of the added pressure you put on yourself. Don't freak out if you don't get the highest grade you wished for, stop adding extra stress because exams are coming up and you feel like you need to get a grade to prove to others you have something good about yourself. You do not need to prove anything. You have so many good attributes and the people who matter know that.

Oh and harness your sarcasm. It's a perceptively clever trait to have but there's a fine line between sarcasm and making fun of people and sometimes you will cross it, unintentionally.

You’ve always been a good reader, but this stage of your life will have you falling in love with writing. You will be the one who carries a book with you wherever you go. There are so many ideas living inside of you. Listen to the voices of the characters and write. Don’t be afraid. Soon you’ll stumble upon the world of blogging where a whole new world will open up to you.

Before I finish, I’ve included a few books that you should read. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

These books, these characters will speak to you. They will encourage you, because to be honest, these characters have bits and pieces of you living inside them. Remember them. Embrace them. These books will find a home on your bookshelf and you’ll find yourself revisiting them from time to time.

Love, 

PS. I know you hate Maths and find it pointless and gruelling but actually listen in class, you will regret not doing it.