There’s no shortage of ways to figure out who you are, especially in high school. But if you don’t actively try to get a strong sense of self, you may wake up one day when you’re 35 and have no idea who you are! So keep in mind these ways to figure out who you are as you continue with your high school career, so that you don’t have any identity confusion!
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1. Meet New People
New people abound in a high school setting, so it's good fortune that one of the best ways to figure out who you are is by meeting new people! I often forget how different we all are, inside and out. But everyone around you has different thoughts, opinions, lifestyles and traditions. To figure out who you are, you should meet new people and have in-depth conversations with them until you figure out how you are like and unlike each of them!
2. Try New Things
What better way to figure out who you are than to try new things and discover new likes and dislikes? From Thai food to Taekwondo, you can learn more about yourself by being adventurous in your actions. You'll never know who you were meant to be unless you try something new each day! What will you try today?
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3. Write to Yourself
I love writing to myself, because I can't organize my thoughts and feelings without putting them down on paper. If your mind works the same way, you can get to know yourself better by writing letters or even poems to yourself! Write down who your friends are, who your enemies are, what sort of inner and external turmoil you're trying to deal with and anything else that comes to mind! The words will flow and as your fingers begin to ache, you'll have a whole new sense of self!
4. Examine Your Friends
People say that we act most like the people we surround ourselves with. So who you are is essentially a combination of your closest friends! That's why, if you're struggling to figure out who you are, you should examine your friends closely, without freaking them out! Doing so will help you realize the similarities and differences between you and your friends, and in the end you'll have a clearer picture of who you are!
5. Examine Your Parents
If you live with one or both of your biological parents, a lot can be determined about who you are based on who they are. While our environment helps shape who we are immensely, our DNA plays a pretty major role as well. Your personality is shaped by experiences, but your temperament is innate- meaning that you were born with it and can't change it. So scrutinize your parents' behaviors, and you're bound to discover some eye-opening similarities!
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6. Ask for Honest Opinions
You may not be able to evaluate who you are without bias, but your close friends and family probably can! Ask for honest opinions- not sarcastic or sugar-coated answers- about who you are. You may be surprised at what you hear! But ultimately you'll get a firmer grasp on who you are.
7. Ask Yourself the Hard Questions
In order to figure out who you are, you’ve got to ask yourself the hard questions and answer them too! What do you want most out of life? What do you love most about yourself? What, if anything, do you wish you could change about yourself? All of these questions must be faced eventually if you want to figure out exactly who you are.
8. Spend Time on Your Own
You never would have gotten to know your best friend if you hadn't spent time with him or her. Likewise, you'll never be able to figure out who you are without spending time with yourself. Meditating may be a great way to spend time by yourself, but other, more "fun" alternatives exist too. Shopping by yourself, exercising or enjoying a favorite activity can all help you figure out who you are. The most important thing is simply that you get some time to yourself, and reflect on who you are.
9. Daydream
How could you figure out who you are without knowing what you want? Since your deepest desires often reveal the most about you, daydreaming can help uncover who you are. Most people daydream naturally, but if you often neglect to, you shouldn't undermine this effective method of getting to know yourself! I wouldn't recommend daydreaming in school, but there's nothing wrong with getting lost in your thoughts when you're relaxing at home on the weekend!
I can't stress how important it is to figure out who you are in high school, but I also know that it's no easy task! Teenage girls are such complicated people that it takes a lot of soul searching to get to know yourself at this age. Which of these ways do you think you'll try out next?
