5 THINGS that I would tell my middle school self if I could

Actually, the current me is quite a lot like middle school me was. My style's changed a bit, but on the inside I'm pretty much the same Megan. Although I think I've been blessed to always be somewhat confident in myself, middle school was a hard time for me. Everyone's learning who they are and what they're about and because of that they sometimes block other people out. Hence my middle school social anxiety. I think a lot of times kids between those ages of roughly 12 and 14 get kind of brushed to the side because they're not cute little kids any more, but they're not contributing to society in the form of a job or big hobby like lots of high school age kids do. That doesn't mean they're not still super important though. Those awkward tween years can really impact you for better or for worse. I'd like to think that the uncomfortable times I had in middle school helped me to treat the people around me better and be more understanding of others' trials, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have used some advice from high school aged me. Here are 5 things I would tell my middle school self if I could.

1. Be patient with yourself.  Just take a moment to think about how incredible you really are.  You've got a body full of working organs, muscles, and bones and you've got a mind with so much capability to think up new ideas.  You might forget a paper at home or say something awkward to your crush, but no matter what you do, you're of infinite worth and have so much possibility ahead of you.  Your crush will probably forget about your tongue slip anyway. ;)  Life's a lot easier when you love yourself, so try your very best to find the good inside of you.

2. Be forgiving of the people who wrong you.  People are going to be mean to you.  People are going to say things you don't like.  People might even make fun of you.  Those people are wrong to do that to you, but they've got issues and problems that they're dealing with just like you.  They may be dealing with them the wrong way, but the best way to help yourself through those really hard days, is to stop and find all the wonderful things about yourself and then about that person.  That's part of the reason I started doing 5 THINGS journals and now this blog.  Finding the amazing things about the people around me helped me to move on from other's wrong doings and stay positive.

3. Don't stress out too much about school. Think of people you look up to and imagine them when they were in middle school. President Thomas S. Monson was a regular boy scout. My favorite musician was a mediocre student.  Do the very best you can, stay confident in yourself, and remember that you've got your whole life to do amazing things.

4. Get involved.  When I was in middle school I had this irrational fear that I was too old to try a new sport or activity.  I felt like everyone around me had been playing their sports since they were little and that I had missed my chance.  Boy was I wrong!  I was on my yearbook staff as a middle schooler, and it was an amazing experience that led me to be on my high school staff as well, but there were so many opportunities that I missed out on by not just putting myself out there and trying things I wanted to do.  That fear as a middle schooler has led me to be much more proactive as far as trying new things in high school and I haven't regretted it once.

5. You're not missing out by not going to those parties.  I wish that I could save my middle school self the frustration of thinking that I was missing out on everything.  I had just moved to a new state, so I knew that I was new, but what I didn't realize, was that everyone around me was just as new to middle school as I was.  The kids around me seemed to always be having fun, but what I found out later was that those "super fun" parties actually got them into a lot of trouble that stuck with them, and is still following them around in high school.  The choices you make and the friends you hang out with when you're young will shape the person you turn out to be, so even if you only have a couple of friends, choose ones that will help you make good choices.  Luckily, I did.