My lack of self confidence teamed with my desire to get a certain type of attention.

1) Thinking all my friends were prettier than me and trying to be more like them. I look back at old photos and disgusted by how much time I spent wishing I were the people around me. I didn't get over this mindset until I went to college and found comfort in my own skin.

2) Wearing so much makeup to seem more beautiful because I didn't like the way I looked. Lots of brands made really greasy looking eyeshadows in the late 90s and early 2000s, and my photos look like I used grease paint to cover my eyelids my sophomore year. Believe me, you have a lot more natural beauty than you know. A little bit of mascara will go a long way.

3) Spending so much time and energy wanting attention from boys and people who were crappy friends. Find people who care about you and focus on those relationships. You can be social and put yourself out there, but focus on and hold onto the good people in your life.

4) So many of my teenage years were spent trying to fit square pegs into round holes. Work to improve yourself by spending your mental and emotional energy on the things that make you happy. You will find people that way. If you push yourself into doing things because you think they will make you happy or cool -- they probably won't. I see a lot of kids suffer with depression today because they act the way they think they're supposed to and it weighs them down.

I recently posted some throwback prom photos, and I had a couple of guys reach out to say that they had huge crushes on me in high school. I had NO idea because I was so wrapped up in being self conscious and assuming everyone was more interested in the people around me.