Advice To My Past Self by Briana

Advice To My Past Self by Briana - April 2021 Scholarship Essay

Time is inevitable. We simply cannot run away from it or steal it back. We can, however, choose to either let these moments define us or not. In fact, recalling one's past self can lead to moments of self reflection. I actually came up with three very important points to give to my past self.
The question was “ What advice would you have given yourself five years ago?” Well, five years ago today would have been April 14th, 2016. Although it is hard to remember events that far back, I believe that five years ago today I was finishing off my seventh grade year. I was very involved in academics, sports, and the school play. I remember thinking about how stressful all of the running around was and how anxious it would make me feel. This worrying has gotten worse as years have gone by. I was recently told that I suffer from anxiety. If I had found a better way to deal with stress, maybe I wouldn't be in the position I am in today. If only seventh grade me knew that this was just a walk in the park compared to the rest of my life. In other words, I would’ve told her to relax a little bit and stop worrying about every little thing. A moment of stress doesn’t mean a lifetime, so just try not to overthink it.
This leads me to my next point of discussion. I would tell my past self to stop being so insecure and caring about what others think of her. I would tell her to keep her head up and embrace who she was. There is no reason that anyone should ever try to change them self in order to please other people. In middle school I had very bad acne, so I would wear makeup every single day. The irony of the situation was that the constant application of makeup was actually making my acne worse. It took me up until this year to realize that there was no point in me trying to fit other peoples standards. In reality, I will probably never see my middle school peers again in my lifetime. I just wish I had realized this back then.
My final advice to my past self is to enjoy these next few years of school. I am a senior now and I am graduating in a month. One of my biggest regrets is wishing away all of these precious years with my friends. I have always wanted to grow up, but now that I'm here, I would do anything to just go back. The real world of going to college and paying my own bills seems so scary now. If I had known this back then, I would’ve appreciated my friends and family more.
The moral of the story is that time really does fly and it makes us realize so much that we never had thought about before. If my past self knew all of these things, I think she would’ve been a much happier person.