If you could go back in time and meet yourself as a freshman, what would you say?

This is a hard question, but after much thought, I have come up with an answer that I think would have positively impacted my entire life. If I could meet myself as  a freshman, I would tell myself that everything seems to be a much bigger deal at the moment than it truly is. One fight with a friend, one test grade, or one bad day at school doesn’t really impact your whole life. I worked hard throughout high school and was very strict about studying, and definitely prioritized it over other important things in my life. Although I was successful with getting into the colleges I wanted, I think I could have been if I had not stressed myself out as much in high school. Everything works out exactly how it’s supposed to in the end. I’m  proud of the person I have become since I was a freshman. I used to care a lot about what others thought of me, my appearance, my intelligence level, and even my writing. I let it hold me back, and in doing so I held myself back. Not caring about what anyone else thinks is a  freeing practice and allows you to thrive and truly be yourself. I would 100% advise anyone to get into that habit now. High school feels so important, and your friends or peers seem like the only people you are ever going to meet. It’s not true. Don’t ever let people in high school hold you back from being your best self because you are afraid of what they might think or say.  A lot of high school is about becoming your own person and allowing yourself to become an adult. I’m  going to miss the experiences I had, but they have made me better person so I will remember them forever.