Annabel Pitcher: Letter to my Teenage Self

Annabel Pitcher, shares a letter to her teenage self.

Dear Annabel,

You’re thirteen now and desperate to be popular. The in-crowd intimidates you, and you often feel nervous of walking past loud girls in the corridors. Keep holding your head up high, though, because you’re doing the right thing. It can be frustrating to go to orchestra or netball practice when the rest of the year is socialising in the school yard, but you will be glad of it when it comes to writing university applications. Believe it or not, one day you will miss the hours spent in a gym-skirt, chasing the netball as if your life depended on it. One day you will yearn to play the violin that is now too big but will soon seem small. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Don’t dye your hair blonde. Your mum will try to convince you that it is a good idea, but it will turn a peculiar shade of yellow that doesn’t match your eyebrows. Oh, and while we’re on the subject of personal grooming, please God stay away from the fake tan, particularly if you’ve got a hot date that evening. You will forget to wash your hands, staining your palms bright orange, and you will be forced to wear gloves, pretending it’s some sort of bold, Michael Jackson-esque fashion statement.

Mistakenly, you believe that fame will bring you happiness, and you hanker after the wrong kind of success, the type that depends on the admiration of others. You remind me of a magpie, attracted to sparkly things that have no real value. Enjoy being on the stage, but realise that real life is not a performance. You don’t have to be anything other than what you are. Stop expecting yourself to be perfect and you will lose the need to pretend that things are going well. You can afford to show your weaknesses and to admit you’re struggling every now and again. This is real success, after all – to be completely at ease with your innermost self without fearing others’ judgement or needing their approval.

Know that you will screw up. Often. Life is not going to progress in a straightforward manner and sometimes you will wake up and gulp in horror at your mistake. Kick him out of bed then get on with your day. Ha! That’s a joke! You will get funnier, by the way. But seriously for a moment, you will be frightened when you mess up and wrongly think that there’s no way out. I want you to know that you are strong enough to deal with whatever the world will throw at you, and you will come through some dark times and actually be glad of them in the long run. They will bring out your resilience, determination and integrity. They will enable you to gain perspective, and to begin to appreciate the things in life that really matter. They will turn you from a teenage girl who could be rather silly into a woman of whom you will be proud.

Love,
Annabel