One dozen timeless tips from T

Posted Jan. 27, 2022

By T Gedi

Staff Editor

My 18th birthday quickly approached when I wrote this (Jan. 19, amazing way to end Capricorn season). As I look back, I lost friends, made new ones, had romantic relationships, ended romantic relationships, learned how to navigate the world/high school while discovering who I am. Don’t get me wrong; it was utter hell, but I regret nothing and have accepted things. Here’s 12 pieces of advice I’ve picked up.

1. Don’t take things so personally.

2. Trust your intuition.

3. If it’s fun and you learned something from it. It wasn’t a waste of time. Do those dance lessons. Play that sport. Start that podcast, whatever. There’s this constant pressure to monetize everything that find to be a capitalist way of thinking, to believe hobbies are only important if you’re making money off of it, when really it’s okay to have hobbies without wanting to make money off of them.

4. Losing friends is okay. It sucks and is heartbreaking. Not saying you should treat people like they’re disposable, but some people are meant to teach you a lesson and leave for a reason. People are sometimes seasonal.

5. No one can read your mind. You can’t expect for the other person to know exactly how you feel unless you say something.

6. Treat yourself the way you’d treat yourself as a kid. Would you call your young self ugly? Would you tell them they aren’t worthy of love? Would you set unrealistically high expectations for them? Would you want them to stay in bad relationships? You wouldn’t, so why do it to yourself now?

7. It’s ok to feel sad about situations you thought you were over. I think the pressure to be resilient and act unbothered is ridiculous. Life can be sucky. However, learn to slowly move on.

8. Always stay present. The past happened and you’re unaware of the feature. No amount of stress changes anything. You can control the present and what you do in the moment.

9. Friends who constantly leave you out aren’t friends.

10. Everyone lives their own complex life. I learned this word: sonder. Basically it’s realizing others have their own complex lives & are going through rough patches too.

11. Go to therapy. We all need a little guidance. There’s a huge stigma about going to therapy which I always find odd. What’s wrong with seeking help? Even if you aren’t going through a depressive episode, it’s so important to have a listening ear and guidance. Life throws crazy stressors out, and talking through them can help manage emotions easier. I’m not even going to lie; I’ve literally cried to my therapist when the outfit I planned in my head was ugly.

12. Looking good makes you feel good. Even on my worst days, putting on a good outfit just brightens my face. If I’m gonna be a mess, I might as well be a hot mess.