When people think of the word “self-absorbed”, it’s easy for the mind to go to straightforward definitions of “egotistic” or “inconsiderate”. However, there are many ways to think of this word, especially when it comes to teenagers and students who are often very concerned with their own lives. After all, many of them have not yet had to sustain themselves, and they are trying to work hard to fit in and also plan ahead for their own future. In fact, they are so concerned about this that they beat themselves up over their mistakes and are constantly worried that they will never find a path in the future. This, I think, too often clouds people’s judgement when it comes to self-esteem and attitude.

At times, I find that I need to stop myself from being too caught up in my thoughts and worries that slowly begin to pile up and spiral into a never-ending whirlpool of negativity. When it comes to people, it was easy to become overly cautious and concerned about how I am perceived. For much of high school, I was pretty insecure because of this. I stayed embarrassed for weeks if I accidentally said something wrong, and I assumed that people judged me based on the smallest, probably insignificant signs. While I might have been right once in a while, I found that more than half of the time, people didn’t remember what I said, and they didn’t mean to hurt me with accidental glares. In the end, I realized that I didn’t know how people felt as well as I thought I did, and I often misinterpreted actions and words. Thus, sometimes I think we need to take a step back from our perspective and realize that the entire world is not revolving around evaluating our every mistake and constantly thinking about our every move. The world keeps moving on, and in this way, I think that we will be able to as well.

When it comes to school and the future, there is also a similar problem with being overly concerned with oneself. As high school is the next big step towards choosing a path in life, many students stress themselves out over trying to lay everything out immediately and then worrying when things don’t work out the way that they thought. In other cases, they may just feel completely lost and alone, and they think that everyone has it all figured out. They believe that there’s something wrong with them and are afraid that they’ll never find happiness. This is also a pretty common negativity spiral, but I think that students who find themselves thinking in this way should try to look beyond themselves and try thinking realistically. Then, they may realize that there are actually many people out there who support them and will help when they need it. The world does not work exactly the way that they think it does. No matter which college they end up in, there are opportunities to discover what they enjoy doing. There are second chances, third chances, and sometimes even more than that. The road to success is not a one way street, so it’s important to be more open-minded and see what is out there.

Perhaps contrary to some popular high school beliefs, the world is not out to get anyone. So continue to wonder, to explore, to be confrontational and brave. Then, maybe you’ll find answers within yourself that you couldn’t before.