Advice for My Younger Self

Looking back, there is always so much to say to our younger selves. In fact, people have a saying that goes, “hindsight is 20/20”. As we get older, wisdom feels so much more abundant and the lessons we have learned make us a better person. With college graduation happening across the country, I have been thinking a lot about what I would try to mentor my younger self on. I graduated from high school 9 years ago, and I graduated from Utah State University 4 years ago. With each new stage in my life, new insight has become available. Here is a list of a few things I would say if I could go back in time and teach myself all the knowledge I have now!

This is a sponsored blog post on behalf of Olay. All opinions are my own.

Healthy Relationships Aren’t Forced

As a sagittarius, I go after whatever I set my mind to. Relationships were not immune to this chase! I would put my full attention into relationships that were with people not suited for me, didn’t value my time, or didn’t reciprocate my feelings. This wasn’t limited to lovers, it happened in friendships as well! Life would have been so much easier if I had directed all that energy into people that had done the same for me!

Love Your Body

It’s cliche, but I look back at pictures of myself from my younger years and think, “wow! I had a killer bod! Why didn’t I love it then?” I think many people feel this exact way. We are so hard on ourselves in the moment that we often forget to be grateful for what we have. Lately, I have been practicing telling my body I am thankful for the things it does! It can climb a steep hill in spin class. It can cuddle the heck out of my husband and cat. It looks damn good in Madewell jeans. Focus on what your body does well!

Protect Your Skin

Want to hear a scary story that is only two sentences? In high school, I used to get on my parents roof to tan. Instead of sunscreen, I would put vegetable oil on to attract more sun rays. YIKES! In college, I started taking medicine to help with my acne, so I stopped being as risky with my skincare. However, I didn’t start religiously using SPF moisturizer until I graduated! I also didn’t start doing a set skincare routine in the morning or night until after college! The new, wiser version of me cringes at that thought! Now, I have about a 6-step routine morning AND night to take care of my skin. It involves product likes Vitamin C, Vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, AHA cleanser, and other serums and oils. I also apply Olay Sun Face Sunscreen + Shine Control with SPF 35 every morning. I want my face to look young forever, and I want to prevent skin damage! Making sure that I use the right products to keep my skin healthy is a priority.

Take Time Off To Explore Yourself

Ideally, you follow me on Instagram and you have heard that I have decided to leave the teaching profession next year. After four years working in special education (resource) in a low-income school (a low socio-economic area), I am burnt out! People often ask why I decided to become a teacher, and it is both simple and complicated. Growing up with my mom and grandma as elementary school teachers, it was always an option for me as a future career choice. As I got older, I helped my mom in her classroom, often even reading to students or helping them on assignments. Teaching is something I am a natural at! In high school, I had different plans and wanted to become a psychologist. This probably stemmed from my experience with my own mental health and also mental illness running in my family. In fact, when I took career path tests, psychology came up as an option, but it was in the same category as teaching. Once I went to orientation for USU, I  changed my mind. I had heard the rumors about psychology majors needed at least a Master’s to get a job. I also started hearing about all the grants and loan forgiveness options offered to those going into a teaching career. I followed the education path because of that! As I got into my practicum and student teaching, I knew that being an educator didn’t spark my interest as much as I hoped it would. However, I already felt so deep into the studies and my major, it made sense to finish. If I had allowed myself time between high school and college to explore the world and myself, I might have fallen into what I wanted to focus on (marketing) without wasting time or money in classes!

Saying NO Is Powerful

Unfortunately, in high school I didn’t understand that I could have boundaries with friends! That sounded a bit dramatic, but it really did take a toll on my mental health! I worried that if I didn’t go hang out with my friends on the weekends, I would be left out or left behind. Kids these days call that FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out. It got to the point that I would even ask my mom if I was okay to stay home and say no to going out with my friends. I am a true introvert at heart, so spending time by myself away from distractions is important to me! If I could go back to those days, I would let myself know that it is okay to be introverted and enjoy alone time!

Along with that, saying NO to things I am not interested in has become part of my power! If I am feeling like I do not want to take on a blogging job because of little pay or interest, I say no! Life’s too short to not do what you want to do. It’s also too long to spend doing the things you dislike. Learning to say no and set boundaries has changed my perspective immensely.

Fuel Your Body Right

Once, I read a study that said eating habits in our youth can change how our DNA cells express themselves when we are older. People who ate healthier as kids were able to maintain their weight as adults, even when eating a less healthy diet. If I could change something about my childhood, I would have wanted to learn better ways to nourish my body. We ate a lot of fast food and I got hooked on junk food early in life. Those habits are still hard to shake, and I also feel my body has a difficult time losing weight once it is put on. It’s tough to say if that is correlation or causation, but it’s hard not to think it would have helped to healthier!

Only Buy It if You LOVE It

Be honest: how many times have you gone home with a new item and an hour later regret it. This has happened to me so many times over the years! Adding something to your cart is easy, but loving it once you get it home and have to find storage space for it is hard! There are a lot of things, even expensive items, I wish I had waited to pull the trigger on buying! These days, I am thoughtful about every purchase to make sure that the space the item will take up in my apartment will be worth it.