hello there, friend,
i remember feeling some of what you describe as a teenager. i remember wondering what was wrong with me, wondering did i feel different or the same as everyone else? did other people think about things over and over again like i did? did they daydream? did they think about the future? did they worry constantly about what they said, or did, or wore?
and i remember the transition, the year that felt like i was coming home to myself. the year i finally felt like i didn't care what other people thought of me. i was finally confident enough in who i was to stop worrying all the time. not surprisingly, this was my senior year of high school.
i tell my middle schoolers and high schooler all the time that everyone around them is much more concerned with themselves than they are with them. i have seen them question how they fit in and i have seen them stand out, confident in their own skin.
learning to know ourselves, even as we grow and change is such a gift. it allows us to be both comfortable and humble - passionate and compassionate. what i hope for my children is that they learn to be self aware - that as they learn about themselves - they will be better able to interact with and relate to those around them.
xo,
b
