The Thing About Growing Up

Growing up, I always hated the saying “I am still searching for who I am”. I simply didn’t understand it. How can you be looking for who you are? I was sure I knew exactly who I was.

I, in a way, still feel like that. I knew exactly who I was at that point in time. At that moment, even being 16, I knew who I was based on my experiences. I didn’t know who I’d become, and I was aware that I’d be constantly learning and developing myself, but that doesn’t mean you don’t know who you are.

Going through life, it’s natural that each experience shapes who you are and teaches you more about yourself in many ways. It’s your job to ensure you stay true to who you “think” you are, and develop yourself from there.

I have understood a little more of why I’d react to certain situations in an exaggerated way, I know the cause of that now. I also know I still have a lot to figure out and a lot of things to work through, but I feel like I know who I am, what I stand for, and what I don’t think is right. I have also started to accept that other people might think in a different way from me, but that doesn’t mean they are wrong.

The thing about growing up is that you feel misunderstood. A lot of the time, people don’t take the effort to fully comprehend why you’d act a certain way or why you’d be upset. And when you hear the words “Just cut it out!” or “Don’t be such a baby!”, you might feel like you’re worthless.

Just remember, everyone goes through hard times, and sometimes expressing out loud why you’re upset can help you work through the problem better. You either make the other person understand your pain or you’ll actually realise, while you’re explaining it, that you overreacted and it doesn’t actually matter than much.

Just be true to your feelings and go from there. There’s no exact science to growing up and you just have to trust it’ll all turn out okay – because what’s the alternative…