Being 19 I sometimes feel sooooo old on this sub. Being a teenager senior citizen, I just wanted to use my elderly experience to help out some of you youngsters before yelling at you to get off my lawn.

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I am not an expert and a lot of this advice might not be shit, however this is what I have personally learned from my experience as a teenager. If you have any other additional advice please comment it and I might add it to the list.

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• Go out and do stuff. I currently work with kids ages 11-15 and I see so many being forced to go out and be social by their parents and hating it. I know it might push you out of your comfort zone, but go out there and have fun. Its hard at first but looking back on it now I wish I had done more. A lot of your loneliness and depression struggles will be solved just by doing this.
• Don't feel like you HAVE to be in a relationship. 2 of my 3 relationships ended horribly and the 3rd one (1st one chronologically) was so meaningless that we never technically broke up; we just kinda stopped talking to each other...Now that I think about it we technically are still dating so I should probably get her a 7 year anniversary present. The majority of my great memories happened when I was with my friends (boys and girls) rather than with a partner. I know it might feel like you have to get a girlfriend or boyfriend but unless you really like someone, its not always worth it.
• That being said, if you do like someone just go for it. Yeah, there's a good 50% chance that you'll get rejected but chances are no ones going to care about it later. Just go up to him/her and go for it. Obviously you'll need some build up by flirting, but don't be afraid. One thing that I've noticed is that chances are if you are feeling things about someone, he/she is feeling the same way about you.
• Sometimes the best way to get someone to like you is to simply tell them. Ive had this happen both ways for me. Ive had girls that I've never thought about tell me that they like me thus resulting with me liking them and Ive also had it happen where I've subtly told girls that I like them which resulted with them liking me back. Its an odd phenomenon but it does happen. Maybe don't go in their face and go "HEY GIRL I HAVE A HUGE CRUSH ON YOU" but just tell them that they're cute or something small (just dont be creepy about it and work it into the conversation).
• When you apply to college do not slack off. I fucked up real bad and didn't prepare myself very well and did a lot of things last minute. This ended with me getting rejected from some serious schools that my grades were competitive in.
• 1 grade does matter. This one daily goes out to those trying to get into difficult colleges. A lot of people will tell you that "oh, just one D won't hurt you", but let me tell you, it will. This usually only matters if it is in the subject are that you are planning on studying in though. I had a C during my first semester of precalculus, and despite getting an A during second semester and an A during both semesters Calculus a few schools that rejected told me that it was because of that one C . I know a lot of you aren't going for super prestigious schools, but for the handful that are PLEEEEEEAAAASSEEE take your grades seriously.
• Get a job that you love. I HATED my parents when they forced me to get a job during my summer after my freshman year. I ended up getting a job at a grocery store as a bagger. I worked there for literally a grand total of 4 days before quitting. After that I got a job somewhere else (Not going to say exactly where because I don't want to be identified) and I ended up loving it. Literally had some of the best memories of my life there and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Yeah, I could have made more money working as a waiter but it didn't even feel like I was working where I worked.
• Get social media!! (instagram, facebook, snapchat...). I used to be like a lot of you guys. I hated social media and I didn't want anything to do with it. I never even set up an instagram or facebook account until my senior year. The reason why I say this is because even though Ive only just graduated, I am already quickly losing contact with a lot of friends. I wish I started my social media accounts sooner to make it less awkward to connect with them later on.
• Adulthood hits you like a truck so enjoy being a child. It's so weird because it legitimately just feels like one day your suddenly an adult and you no longer have the protections of a child. Everyone kinda has this "oh shit" moment when they realize it. For me it was when I was going to a friends school to bring them something. I forgot to check in with the office and the secretary chased me down yelling "Sir, you need to check in at the office". It was the first time that I was ever addressed as Sir and not as a child.
• Drugs and alcohol are fun, but they are not worth it. During spring break you do not want to be the kid who has to call their friends parents to tell them that he has passed away because he OD on drugs. It is horrible and it is impossible to get over. Just do not do it. Even the things that seem harmless aren't worth it because it never stops there.
• Connect with your teachers. They are resources that you can use both in school and years later. I had a teacher write me a letter of recommendation that literally almost made me cry it was so good. I haven't started my first year of college yet, but I also been told by friends the they constantly email their old teachers asking them for help. Your teachers are not just there for you during the school year, but they are there for you for your life. If you have a question just ask them.
• Join a team. It doesn't have to be a sports team. Joining a team will help build skills that will be useful for your entire life. I also made my best friends this way.
• Just because other people are doing it doesn't make it right. This is something that has fucked me sooooooo many times. I am a pretty innocent person which has led me to be taken advantage of many many times. If someone, even your best friend, tells you to do something think about the consequences prior to doing it. Im not going to go into details about this, but my life was almost ruined because someone peer pressured me into doing something.
• Adults are (usually) not out to get you. They (usually) just want what is best for you. During my junior year we had something happen at our school that a lot of people thought that the staff mishandled. We had students complaining about it for weeks afterwards and putting blame on the staff and criticizing them for not doing their job right. Sometimes this is hard to understand, especially as a teenager when you want to be an adult so badly, but 90% of the time those who are in charge of you just wants what is best for you. In the case that I am referring too, the situation was extremely bizarre and the staff didn't want to cause panic. They did what they did not because they wanted to withhold information from us but because they wanted to protect us.
• Look at things from the other persons perspective. This goes off of the last one. Before getting mad because someone did something that hurt you just try to understand the reasons as to why they did that. I know that this is hard sometimes, but it will help you as a person. As I have said before, 90% of the time people are not out to get you and its usually just a misunderstanding.
• Start a resume early. This is pretty self explanatory, but its easy to write about an event when it initially happens. Maybe dont even start a resume but just start portfolio that documents events in your life.
• TAKE PICTURES. I fucking HATED people taking pictures of me so much that there are almost no pictures of me from the last 4 years. In the future you are going to want to look back at events and have good memories. Even if it hurts you now, having pictures of events will bring you joy in the future.
• Being cool is not worth missing out. This is something that I have always struggled with. I always wanted to be the cool kid. Fuck whatever is popular and fuck adults amiright? Wrong. Do what you want to do (within legal bounds) without worrying about how it will affect your social status.
• Take care of your body, you'll appreciate it later. Specifically your back (proper lifting). Before eating that giant greasy hamburger think if its really worth it. If its what you've been craving all day then go ahead and eat it, but if you're okay with passing and taking a salad instead then don't go for it.
• Play an instrument. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than music. When I say play an instrument I dont mean play an instrument in concert band or orchestra, I mean actually play music the you love on your own time. It helps you express creativity and helps with your emotions. Even if its just strumming a few chords on the guitar it is still worth it.
• Always have extra cash on you. It rarely happens, but theres going to be one time where you are forced to use cash and you won't have it.
• Tell people how much you appreciate them. To this day this is something that I struggle with. I know that its sometimes hard or awkward, but one day you're going to lose someone out of nowhere and you will regret it if you never tell them how much you appreciate them.
• Don't go out with someone just because you want to have sex with them. I know a lot of you guys want to lose it ASAP, but its not worth it if its not with someone that you truly love.
• Don't feel obligated to have sex with someone: This goes off of the last one. If you aren't ready you aren't ready. It's your body. If you don't want to do it don't do it.
• Do an all nighter at least once. Im sure 90% of you have already done this but you reach a form of enlightenment at 4 am when you and your friends are high af (Hey, sometimes I don't listen to my own rules) and sleep deprived.
• Do not text and drive. I saw a car flip once because the person was texting while driving I, a 17 year old at the time, was the person that pulled the injured and bloody person out of the car. I have no idea how he didn't die. I also got hit once from behind by someone texting while driving and that was not fun so for the sake of everyone else, turn your phone off if you can't keep away from it.
• Don't just like something because its popular: Go be your own person. Whether its music, a video game, a sport, or whatever the hell your into, sometimes the most popular options aren't what is for you. Go and explore a little before settling on what is popular.
• Choose your friends wisely: I know that it's hard to cut off a life long friend, but sometimes the person's toxicity is not worth it. I had to do it with someone that I was friends with since I was 5 a few years ago, and you know where he is now? prison. Sometimes it's just not worth sticking with someone.
• Learn self control: Sometimes you just feel like you just want to punch a wall because you're so mad (ive done it and broken a bone because of it), or you just want to lose your mind and get lit af, or maybe you just want to go spend your life savings on a new guitar because it looks cool. Sometimes this stuff is okay, sometimes it's not. Just learn to control yourself before you ruin yourself. Ive done all of the above and regretted doing all of the above.
• Do not hesitate to ask for help: To this day I still struggle to ask for help and I know that I am hypocritical saying this. Use your resources to help you out. A lot of times it might feel like you're abandoned on an island but there are people out there for you. Whether it is a teacher for educational help, a counselor for emotional help, or a friend for social help there is always someone willing to help you out.
• If you are feeling sick go to the doctor: I know someone who had a cough for 9 months and refused to go to the doctor because it was just a nuisance and nothing major. Turns out she had cancer in her throat. I know it may feel stupid going to the doctor for some things, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Edit: this blew up out of nowhere. I will try to answer all of your comments later tonight.