Dear Freshman Year of High School Rachel,
While you thought that going to a private school for high school meant that you could escape the bullying, nope! Bullies will always exist. However, it will be much less than it was in middle school. You are going to find theater people, but not your theater people. If I can give you one piece of advice for high school it would be this: when you realize that something isn’t right, whether it’s between friends or another relationship, don’t let the anxiety linger. Something that you will learn is that “it’s less exhausting to get burned out than it is to worry about it every day.” Acknowledge that it is worrying you, and face it head on. Trust me on that.
Another thing that I want you to know is to trust your gut and stay authentic to yourself and your ideals. I want you to go through this as naturally as possible. However, that does mean that I want you to struggle, as it is necessary for growth–both for yourself and your identity. I want you to remember that, “a life 100% comfortable is a life 100% stagnant.” You NEED to experience discomfort in order to visibly see the success you have. Without it, you won’t grow into the person you want to be.
High school is going to be brutal. You and I both already knew that. Yet there is going to be something so historic that is going to be life-altering. Although you are going to become more grateful that you are financially prosperous. But your high school career is going to be a bitch. You are going to go through so much shit, and be at the lowest you have ever been. But I want you to promise me something. Can you stay alive? I know that you can only focus on the negative and think that there is not an ounce of “good” in your life. But trust me. You’ve done so twice before and I haven’t been wrong yet. You will survive. Not only will you survive, you will thrive.
Sincerely,
- Senior Year of High School Rachel
