Ep #142: Diary of a Teenage Girl

Spent some time over the weekend reading journal entries from when I was in highschool. It’s so fun for me to look back on the person I was then. To visit the 16-18 year old version of me.   Lots of thoughts come to my mind. Wondering how differnt I might have been as a teen if I understood my emotions. I had no clue the effect hormones were having on my mind.   Wondering how different my experience might have been if I understood how much emotions, beliefs, and thoughts were impacting my outlook on life and my own self worth.   If my 40 year old self could have just one hour to talk to my 20 year old self, how cool would that be?   First off, I’d tell her she has nothing to worry about. I worried so much about my future happiness, and I feared being alone & unloved more than anything.   I would spend some time explaining how the mind works, about thoughts, emotions, hormones, and my beliefs.   I would teach her about the growth mindset.   I would tell her to embrace her sexuality and to stop feeling ashamed about all of it.   I would explain to her about truth being subjective, and what I know now about religion and how beliefs are just beliefs, and that I don’t HAVE to adopt them. Especially if they are causing me pain and suffering.   So many things I’d like to tell her if I had the chance.   What would you say to your teenage self?