With age comes responsibility and an understanding of where your priorities lieβsomething thatβs especially crucial in this day and age. Many teens, myself included, have found ourselves in compromising situations simply because we couldnβt withstand peer pressure.
The sad part is that most of these situations could have been avoided if only we had paid more attention to our surroundings and known where to draw the line.
Now, of course, Iβm not saying every bad situation is avoidable; we canβt predict misfortune. Iβm only saying that as teenagers, weβre easily influenced by our friendsβwhich Iβll get to in a moment.
Iβm no expert on friendships, but there are certain types of friends we should steer away from, not just as teenagers but in life in general. The friends you choose have a huge impact on the things you do, so why not keep the best and let go of the rest?
βOne of the hardest lessons to learn in life is that you donβt need everyoneβs approval. The moment you stop living for othersβ opinions is the moment you truly start living for yourself.β β Unknown.
For those who may not know, peer pressure is the ability to influence members of your own age groupβwhether in a positive or negative way. It comes in many forms, from encouraging good habits to validating poor behavior as βnormal.β
While many people assume peer pressure is always a bad thing, there are actually times when it can play a significant role in helping someone grow and become a better individual.
For example, coming together as a group of students to influence another student struggling academically to join a study group counts as peer pressure. Same thing with encouraging a student to skip class. It all comes down to the purpose of peer pressure.
Iβd be lying if I said I havenβt, at some point, given in to peer pressureβjust to fit in or avoid seeming out of place. But as someone whoβs learning to stop living for other peopleβs approval, I can confidently say: itβs not worth it.
The little things we give in to often grow into something bigger. For example, you might try something βjust once,β thinking it wonβt matter. But because you tried it once, it feels easier to try again. And again. Until it becomes a habit thatβs hard to shake. Negative peer pressure, especially in high school, can lead to choices we might not be able to recover from. Itβs always safer to say no the first time.
Peer pressure comes in many forms. Being able to tell right from wrong in the moment is a skill Iβm still learning. Letting go of friends who influence you negatively isnβt easyβespecially if theyβre the ones closest to you. But if you want to grow into a better version of yourself, you have to understand the kinds of people who can either strengthen or break your values. It isn’t always easy saying no but with time, you’re realise saying no is the way to go.
If you’re interested, I’ve linked below a YouTube video explaining peer pressure and what you can do to combat negative peer pressure: