I chose this photo essay because I feel that as college students, and adults even, we get wrapped up in the stresses of life. Oftentimes we find ourselves worrying about our grades, appearances, futures, and when looking back one realizes that none of that really was as stressful as it seemed

I wanted to allow others to take a second look at their past and ask, “what is something you wish your younger self knew?” Responses varied, some more serious than others, but none were the same. 

A lot of the themes in responses were different, however the most interesting were along the lines of not worrying about what other people think about you. Such as, “Stop worrying about what other people think about you and just be yourself.” or “Life is too short to be embarrassed,” etc. I think more often than not this is a common theme among many college students. 

The other theme I saw (mostly from adults) was to not stress about money or things out of our control, to take good care of yourself, save your money, and to play more. As adults, I think that they have a different version of “their younger self” so their answers were different in relation to the college students’ responses.

The takeaway from this assignment is to slow down in life, and to enjoy the now. These responses could be related to anyone in their own life, and can even do this exercise themselves. I think that the idea of self-reflection is important for growth, and it can be beneficial to take a look back in order to move forward.