rasulullah (saw) mentioned in a hadith that those souls who knew each other in the realm of souls [alim e arwah] would find and know each other in this world too, and those who developed animosity in that realm would dislike each other here as well.
and that’s why, when you meet certain people, you’re suddenly overcome with a feeling that you know them from somewhere or that you’ve met them before. and maybe this also accounts for those moments when your heart misses someone you’ve never met, because your soul is yearning for those other souls and waiting for them to show up in your life here in this world.
If there is anything I'd say to my eighteen year old self, I'd tell her - me - that life doesn't need to be figured out before 20. Life happens every day, and the best thing to do is to go with the flow, and live by the second. I'd constantly remind her not to stress over people and ignore the peer pressure - "Don't try so hard to fit in, don't go against your values. You're doing great, like you've been all along. Just keep moving on." I guess the eighteen year old me struggled to know she's doing okay with everything that she's working on in life - she just hadn't been told enough, so she broke down every once in a while. And if I could go back to everytime she tried not to cry herself to sleep, I'd pat her back and say "Crying doesn't make you weak, in fact, it gives you strength. To go on with life." hoping she wouldn't be too deep in the big black hole of depression, cause boy, to be able to feel some sort of darkness in your soul is suffocating, it's deadly.
I have no intention on telling her how life goes from here, the eighteen year old me needs to figure that out herself, to learn. But to keep her going, I'd definitely tell her this..
"You have a bright future ahead. It won't be an easy road - you'll trip, fall, you'll get hurt, really bad but trust me it'll all be worth it. So keep moving, you can do this. Even when you feel like you're all alone, you really aren't. Above you, is God. He knows. Beside you, you've got all the people that adore you. Your family - oh you'll soon realise just how much they care about you. I just found out that it's perfectly fine to be vulnerable around these humans that share same genes as you, so reach out. They'll be nothing but grateful. Also beside you, your caring and loving but annoyingly sarcastic friends. I can't guarantee you that the friends you have now will stay with you forever, but cherish what you have now. Carpe Diem - seize the moments. What I remember now is that the friendships I have when I was your age were the ones that taught me lots. Sure, you’ll make tons of friends, but up til now, only a few remains - a very precious few. And to have that few crackheads, is probably one of the best things in life, so far. Be true to these people, and they'll be true to you. And give love to those deserving of love for giving too much love is never a waste. You're just eighteen, you don't have to be too hard on yourself. Not everything is your fault. When it is, you just have to remind yourself that people make mistakes. That's how we learn, from experience. Most important thing is, always, always be thankful. Be grateful of this life, and the abundant blessings God has bestowed upon you, and you'll be seeing things a lot differently. Life is never unfair, its how you perceive them makes it what it is. Happy eighteen."