Do you have genuine friends that do not give you peer pressure? Then you’re lucky!
Most people have friends who make them do what they would normally never have done if they were not friends with these people. Because they are in the same age brackets as you, what they do or get involved with can directly or indirectly influence your decision.
The impact of peer pressure can be good or bad. When you have peers who encourage you to be the best version of yourself by the positive choices they make in their own lives, that’s positive and good for your growth. You are pushed to greatness because your peers are not lazy. However, because you may not always know a genuinely true friend, you may end up being caught up in a mess that their influence pushes you into.
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Are you finding yourself acting in the complete opposite of your set standards or values just to feel among? When your peers are somehow influencing you to do some things for them to gain their approval, that is peer pressure and it is the negative one. They often make you break, not just your own rules, even community or governmental rules. You will find yourself compromising your beliefs over and over again for the fear of being rejected.
It is challenging but important to recognize peer pressure and also learn how to handle the situation when you notice the growing signs, when with your peers.
So, the question now is, how do you handle such friends who pressure you in the direction of poor choices? The first important factor to consider is self-awareness. Then knowing your true worth and also working on building up courage, as well as the ability to make your decisions independently, even when it means not conforming to the norm of the group.
Below are 4+ Ways to Deal With Peer Pressure.
- Focus on how you feel. Your gut will mostly warn you when something is not right, and you feel under undue pressure. Even when everyone says it’s okay, you should focus on how it makes you feel. No long explanation is necessary for choosing to be yourself and standing by your values.
- Make plans ahead. Planning ahead like choosing your friends wisely is important to overcome peer pressure. You should walk with the friends that help you walk in the path of good habits and who respect your boundaries. You should also meditate on how certain situations get to you. Plan your reactions well ahead in different circumstances.
- Say NO like you are not joking. If you must overcome peer pressure, you must learn to say no. And when you do, your confidence must show that you are not joking. When you “respectfully” learn to say “No”, the constant push of pressure from peers will greatly reduce, and the ones who are your true friends will understand your stand and decision.
- Be firm. Let them know you by what you stand for. This is a key factor to handling pressure. You must be firm and consistent. Even when your friends keep pushing for you to compromise, you must show strenght and self-respect. You must also learn to keep the boundaries you set and your friends will learn to respect them too.
- Get up and leave. Leaving friends who constantly pressure you to go against your values is not betrayal, as it may seem. It is a wise thing to do. You should know that staying to argue your point is mostly, often pointless. For your own sanity, trust your instinct and know when to politely leave.
