Advice you'd give to someone younger than you?

[chocovelvetcake]

What advice would you give to someone who's younger than you? I'll go first: It's totally okay to make mistakes when you're learning something new. I often find myself struggling to come to terms with this as I entered adulthood. It seemed like the older I got, the more pressure I felt to become the "perfect" adult in order to function in our society. Sincerely, a 21 year old perfectionist.

 

[Chris]

• Take your education seriously.
• Learn to cook sooner than later.
• Don't spend money recklessly.
• Don't stay in a bad relationship just because you've been together for years or you don't think you can do better.
• If your job sucks, don't quit right away, but do start applying to new ones - it is easier to find a new job while already employed.
• No one has it all together 100% of the time.
• It's okay to like "childish" things.
• It's okay to feel overwhelmed and cry.
• You don't need to be liked by everyone.
• Your mental health matters.

 

[Seastar]

You're not actually fully grown at 18, no matter what society tries to tell you. Try to not be too hard on yourself if you're struggling with unrealistic expectations from other people.

 

[QueenCobra]

—Eat fiber.
—If you feel like you have to change to be someone’s friend or romantic partner, look for someone else.
—You don’t have to please everyone, because not everyone is worth pleasing. For example, I don’t want to associate with people like Trump or Andrew Tate, so I don’t care if they or their fans dislike me.
—Don’t compare yourself to others. Whether it’s because they’re rich, smart, whatever. Who cares if someone learned to drive at 16, and you’re still struggling at 20? Everyone learns at their own pace, and you don’t know what help someone has had along the way.
—Save money for what you REALLY need and want.
—Volunteer and help others. I do this with cats. (It doesn’t have to be cats, though.)
—Take care of your teeth.
—Surround yourself with positive people.
—Have one mindless hobby that can help you de-stress not just from work, but also other hobbies that use up a lot of brainpower and/or energy.
—Smoking can ruin your health. My grandma has lung cancer from this, but the PSAs also used to scare me.
—My mom would say “It doesn’t matter what people look like— as long as they have a good heart.” Don’t judge people’s looks, and don’t judge your own, either. I have wasted too much time worrying what some hypothetical losers would think of me.
—You will fail constantly, more often than you succeed, but if you keep trying, you will achieve something. Maybe not what you dreamed of, but something that will make you happy. And happiness is more important than success.