I just finished my final exams of high school and in a couple of weeks I’ll be graduating! Albeit, it won’t be the graduation I’ve been picturing since freshmen year, but it’s still a graduation! With this abrupt end to my high school journey, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what high school was like for me and if I would have done anything differently. In this post I’m going to share the things I wish I had known during high school with you!

Stressing doesn’t help

I wish I could go back and tell my high school self that stressing doesn’t change anything, in fact, it will probably make things worse. No matter how many stressed days and sleepless nights I went through, I still made it to the end with the same result. I wish I had known back then that I would get everything done regardless of how much I stressed.

Work at your own pace and don’t compare

I have a pretty competitive nature, so at school I was always striving to be the best, which was good in some ways because it made me achieve great results, but it was also unhealthy for me. I wish I had known that I didn’t have to compare myself to others; we all have different strengths and weaknesses and you can’t be the best at everything!

Be as busy as you want to be

I was the kind of person in high school that loved being busy. I absolutely loved my school and I was involved with so many activities because I genuinely enjoyed them. A lot of people thought it was too much or that I wouldn’t be able to juggle everything, but I did! I wish I had known that it’s okay to be as busy or not-busy as you want to be. You create your own schedule based around your own needs. If you like being busy, get involved and don’t let anyone stop you!

Don’t do things just for the title or recognition

This is something that I think I realized more towards the last two years of high school. A lot of people sign up for activities or take classes because they think that it’s what colleges want to see. I am guilty of doing that in my first two years of high school, but later on I realized that I should be putting my time and effort into things that I really enjoyed doing and feel passionate about. Also, colleges like to see your passion in one area, something that makes you individual, rather than just doing what you think they want to see!

There are ups and downs

There were some weeks in high school where I would be working all weekend and wouldn’t get much sleep, and there were some where I felt super relaxed and free. I wish I had known that school is a winding path with ups and downs. The busy weeks are followed by the calmer weeks, and even though sometimes there’s a lot going on, it won’t stay like that forever.

Learn your needs

High school is the place you learn a lot about yourself and how you work best. For a lot of people it’s the preparation before you live by yourself in college, so take this time to learn about your needs. Don’t just follow what everyone else is doing! If you know you need to study alone in the library while everyone else working together, do that! If you know that you work best getting a lot done in the morning and socializing in the evening, do that! If you know that you need to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, rather than the 5 or 6 that everyone else is getting, do that! Take the time to learn about your wellbeing needs before you’re living on your own.

Stay curious

My last piece of advice is something that I feel so strongly about. No matter how much you know or how many As you have, there’s always something new to learn. Whether it be an academic lesson or a life lesson, from an expert in a field or from a close friend. Stay curious and never stop learning!

These are the things I wish I had known during high school! What did you wish you knew? Leave your suggestions in the comments section!

See you next week,