If you went back in time and met yourself as a teenager . . .

what would you tell yourself?

Ah, a classic thread. I'm not sure; much of the path I'm following now has its genesis in who I became as a teenager and even younger.

The one thing I would definately tell myself about is about hsp and spare myself so much trying to figure things out.

Oooh! Several things 1. Don't listen to your mother, go with your gut, you can always go to University later. You will regret not going to Drama school
2. You aren't a freak; Read the book by Elanie Aron
3. You won't believe me, but you aren't fat, and you are beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise
4. Listen to that teacher on the last day of school, don't ignore it.
5. Love your self, no-one else will do it for you
6. Don't listen to your mother, in time it will become obvious, she doesn't have your best interests at heart. Believe me on this.

Oh, if only I could go back. How different things would have turned out.

1. Don't trust in what your parents said or what the nuns said (catholic school) ... they were wrong about almost everything.
2. Which stocks to invest in when they were cheap.
3. Don't marry my first wife or my second wife. and where to find my third wife when she was still young and available.
4. How to make a woman happy and satisfied.

I'd come back to the current time, rich and happier than ever.

Spock

I'm not sure my teenage self would trust my old self. But if I could get a few words in, I'd tell my teenage self:

Don't despair. Life will become so much better.
Your mother is screwed up, but she's doing her best, just as you are.
Run a mile, then two. And keep at it, faithfully.
Travel and explore. Test your boundaries.
Failure, divorce, and death are part of life.
They can be blessings, but not in the way you imagine.
Don't let fear keep you from engaging fully.

I'd tell myself about HSP, give myself a copy of Elaine Aron's book and make sure I read it!
I would teach myself some basic financial skills (wish they taught that in high school!)
Not to worry so much about grades and what the other kids think of you.

Great thread Nucky. Don't know how I missed this earlier.

I would go back and tell myself, "Trust your intuitions always".
How much easier life would have been if I'd have always listened to the voice inside.

It's ok to cry, and is necessary at times..

It's ok to be yourself.

In a humourous take on the above... Here's what one guy chose to do when he spoke with a 12 year old version of himself (not quite a teenager but nearly!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFGAQrEUaeU

And yes, in all seriousness, I'd tell myself those things too Nucky as a teenager... They would have helped loads...

I'd tell myself:

you are beautiful, inside and out
You don't need the approval of others, only your own
I know you want to have a boyfriend, but trust me when I say that if you can't love yourself because of a relationship, get out. You are so much more important. Time will heal your wounds, but only if you stand up for your own needs. Get rid of anyone who puts you down. It's worth it.

It would be tempting to warn myself to not go for that person, to not get involved with islam etc. but the thing is, I became so much wiser because of those experiences. Who would I be without the suffering and pain? Would I have realised that true happiness lies within?
I'm grateful for all my experiences, the only thing I wish is that I had more support back then.

Man, you should really not play WoW. It's effin bad for you. Do something with your life instead of wasting it + dreaming of things you never end up doing anyways.

wwhy wwould you evven wwant to play wworld of wwarcraft? That game is terrible, play something a little bit more respected by the rest of the internet community.

...don't let the respect of peers (or by modern extension the internet community) tell you what to do!
Be you, and try to respect yourself...and yeah, don't waste your life playing video games- any video games...they are a fine diversion for a short time, but soon become a bad habit and a time sucker...and you can't get that time back!

...and: no one is really watching and judging you...people barely notice you in passing...relax and be you.