Get Rid Of Negative Peer Pressure For Good!

Peer pressure, two words that could either build you or destroy you. After entering middle school, my eyes were opened to this new term ‘peer pressure’, as an innocent little girl, I had no idea what it was? Whether it really even affected me? And if it did then how?

Peer pressure can be defined as the influence or impact our peers have on us which encourages us to follow them often leading to individuals changing their behaviour, beliefs, personality, sense of originality, etc. In simple terms, it’s the effect the people around us have on us and how we perceive that effect.

 Peer pressure isn’t just negative, it has several positive effects, such as sometimes we can learn good habits from our friends and start following the same, or it even helps increase our self-confidence at times. You could even change for the better, by looking at others you could gain a more positive thought process. Despite the positives, there is a negative aspect which needs to be considered and brought to an end but what are the negative effects of peer pressure?

Peer pressure could cause you to lose your sense of originality. You could start doing things that you think are wrong but anyway push yourself to do. It distracts you from your main objective and makes you feel bad about yourself. It could draw you away from your family and cause you to have a negative attitude or behaviour. It could completely change you as a person. It could even lead to self-harm and depression.

Knowing the negative side we also need to know how to be able to recognize whether our peers’ effect on us is negative. The following pointers help you identify the negative effect:

1. You are changing yourself to ‘fit in’.
2. You find it hard to say ‘no’.
3. You constantly engage in activities you don’t enjoy but do them because your friends want to.
4. You constantly feel like you need to be exactly like the others.
5. At the end of the day, you are not happy with yourself.
6. You always follow what your peers say and do.
7. You are creating a distance with your family.
8. You don’t do the things that pleased and made you happy earlier any more.
9. You feel sad or depressed
10. You are changing your lifestyle, habits, interests and hobbies as per your friends.

Now, the real question is, ‘How do we handle peer pressure?’ The following steps will help you cope up with peer pressure.

• Learn to say ‘no’

This is one of the things I lacked as an 11-year-old. I would hesitate to say no and that would often lead to me getting bullied, doing someone else’s work or doing activities I personally didn’t like or enjoy. You have to learn to say no. There are so many people in this world, you cannot please everyone. Friends respect your opinion if you say ‘no’, they won’t force you, if they do, they are not your real friends. ‘When you say ‘YES’ to others make sure you aren’t saying ‘NO’ to yourself.’

• Talk to an adult 

As nerve-wracking it may be to talk to an adult, it really helps. Once you inform an elder about the situation, they can assist you. They could talk to to your peers or give you advice. Confiding in an adult could even help you lift your self-confidence since you wouldn’t feel helpless anymore.

• Tell the truth

If you feel something is not right, let your peers know. It is important to express your opinion, only then you can earn people’s respect. You need to be able to speak up and express how you feel. Sometimes, your peers may not even realise that they are pressurizing you. Speak up and express yourself.

• Keep your guard up

Be careful and alert by keeping your guard up. Take a step back and assess the situation. Does it seem right? Should you do this? Answer them for yourself and then take the next step. Don’t let others influence your opinions and decisions. Only you know what’s right and wrong for you.

• Stand up for someone else 

A survivor should help someone else survive too. If you see anyone around you getting impacted negatively by peer pressure, stand up for them. Explain this phenomenon to them, let them know that this is impacting their life and how they should deal with this situation. Always remember, ‘Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.’

Those were some of the ways you can deal with peer pressure. Don’t let peer pressure bury you, fight it! ‘It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction. Do what you feel is right for you!’