“What if they think I’m not good?” “They’re definitely staring at me.” “Why is he judging me right now?”

The most important part of high school, for many, is what people think of them. Whether you’d like to accept it or not, that’s the reality. We all care about others’ opinions: our friends, teachers, parents and even people we don’t know. We all, to some extent, exert a lot of mental energy towards caring about what others think.

As high school progressed, I realized this is simply a paradigm. It is a never-ending cycle. If absolutely everyone cares to some degree what others think of them, then they’re spending more time worrying about what others think of them than actually judging other people.

This is especially true in high school. Let’s say someone does judge you. They’ll look at you for one second, maybe think of something in their head, or even say something out loud, but then they will immediately go back to worrying about their own life and start worrying about other people judging them. It’s all a cycle. People are too worried about themselves to worry about you.

Of course, this is easier said than done. It is human nature to crave approval from others. You want people to like and accept you. There is no doubt that for the rest of our lives, we will care what others think of us. However, in high school, our hormones, thoughts and especially our emotions are all nearing their peaks. We are hyper-sensitive, and sometimes, trivial moments in high school seem like life or death.

For me, it’s still something I struggle with. Caring about what others think can entirely consume your life, and it can make you forget about your own opinions. However, if you remember that it’s all a cycle, it’s just a loop where people are too busy worrying about themselves to care about you, your mind will be much more at ease.

Enjoy every moment of high school, appreciate it and do not let others’ opinions get in your head. At the end of the day, what’s most important is you.