Want to know how to deal with peer pressure? You are not alone. Many of us get affected by this age-old pressure to get accepted. Peer pressure is one of the most annoying words for teens and tweens. Most people feel that teenagers feel peer pressure for the first time, but it starts long back. In the teenage, people’s circle started to get wider, and they meet many other people. The age is fragile, and we want to get approved in friend circles, so knowingly or unknowingly, we do the things that don’t match with our personality. The pressure to do something just to get fit in a group is ‘Peer Pressure.’ Let’s know more about it before finding out the ways to deal with it;
Who are the Peers?
Now let’s understand who falls in the category of peers? For teenagers, the friends with the same age group and for adults, their colleagues or co-workers are peers. Your friends of the same age with similar occupations or interests are also peers.
What is Peer Pressure?
Humans are social animals, and we all want to get accepted in a group of other people of the same age and experience. But the acceptance should be without any clause. When you are to do the things that you don’t like to be a group member, it is ‘Peer Pressure.’ When you choose a subject that you don’t like to impress your friends or be in their group, it is peer pressure. When you get influenced by your peers and act in a particular way, it is peer pressure.
You must be thinking that peer pressure belongs to teenagers only. No, many of us do the things we don’t like to be accepted by the people around us. Most of the grown-ups have faced this pressure, and many teenagers must be experiencing it. Peer pressure can be negative and positive, but its nature doesn’t justify its fine to experience peer pressure. Through positive peer pressure, push to give your best, but the negative one can make you unhappy. If you do something that you don’t like, but this is what your peers asked you to do, you are under peer pressure. Let’s find out how to deal with peer pressure;
Smart Ways to deal with Peer Pressure
Peer pressure is real, and when you feel that you are doing the things just to please others and be counted as a group member, it becomes a must take some steps to get rid of it. It’s a must to handle the peer pressure smartly as you must not want to make your peers with a straight ‘NO.’ We have compiled a few ways that will help you to handle this common but depressive situation better;
1. Love Yourself
Self-love is something that we need to learn and teach the younger generation. We understand its difficult to spend time in school or at the workplace without peers, but you can’t give them more importance than you. First of all, you will have to understand that you love yourself and your respect comes first, before any friend or group. If you find that people in your group are teasing you, leave it, this place is not for you.
2. Learn to Say NO
Saying ‘NO’ is difficult for the teen and the tweens. We prefer to say more polite words instead of no like maybe, I am sure; I will think about it or any other similar words. Do any one of them means that you are denying, no. All the words used in the place of ‘no’ signifies your acceptance to the task, sooner or later. So better be clear and be in the non-negotiable position. Once you will politely say no, the peer pressure will start to get down.
3. Be Confident
Confidence is another important factor you need to keep in mind to deal with peer pressure smartly. To handle peer pressure, have high self-esteem. Feel proud of you, your social and financial background, and your parents. Especially students need to be confident when they feel that their friends want them to dress in a certain way or order food for them from good places. Its normal practice that teenagers follow pressurized a low confident teen. Once you understand that you don’t need to impress anyone to be in their good books and group, no one can put pressure. The best thing to be confident that if you learn to be confident at a younger age, you will be a smarter and self-confident person in the future.
4. Be in a Good Company
You will have to understand that you don’t need anyone’s approval, so don’t seek it. Second, your peers should be educated enough to know this fact. When you have good people around you, you feel positive about yourself. It will help you grow better and give your best to the studies, extracurricular activities, and work front. Good peers may ask you to change a few things like your schedule or anything for your good, but they won’t pressurise you to act differently.
5. Offer Alternative Options
We understand that sometimes its not easy to say ‘NO.’ in these cases, alternative works better. For example, your colleague wants you to go out for drinks, but you don’t want it, then ask him to plan some other day. In the same way, if your friends want you to bunk the class and meet you, ask them to reschedule the meeting after class.
6. Blame Your Parents
To come out from a situation where you cannot use an alternative option, use your parent’s name. You can say that your parents won’t like that particular thing (your peers want you to do), and you cannot hurt them. To avoid going out you can say that your parents already made a plan for you. So, use your parent’s name wisely and come out from the odd situation caused by your peers.
7. Keep an Exit Strategy Ready
When you feel that your friend and colleague is pressurizing you, leave the place. You can say that you are to go. Don’t listen to the things that de-motivates you or force you to be a different person. It’s the best solution to take control of peer pressure in your hand.
8. Keep Consequences of Your Actions in Mind.
Before making any choice due to peer pressure, first, think about its consequences. Newton’s Law says that ‘Every action has the same and equal reaction’ so whatever good or bad you will do, you will have to see its results.
When you make a negative decision under the pressure of your colleagues, you can hurt your self-esteem, confidence, and loved ones. There is no need to engage yourself in something illegal or offensive activities. It will trouble you, your parents and family name, and your school records.
Wrapping Up
Friends are like a sign of relief and fresh air on a hot day, but those who want you to be a different person cannot be your true friends. People who want you to do certain things just to remain their friend are not your true well-wishers. Peer pressure is something that hits the lives of many, and you can take the help of the tips given here to deal with it. We would recommend that you discuss the peer pressure you are experiencing with your family. It will give you emotional support and make you more confident and capable of handling the situation.
