Peer pressure isn’t always a negative thing. It can be a positive influence and help challenge or motivate you to do your best. It’s helpful to recognise that peer pressure can also be negative, and can result in you doing something that doesn’t fit with your sense of right and wrong.
You might try to live up to other people’s expectations, but it’s important to be mindful to not have other people’s expectations cloud what you want. If you’re dealing with peer pressure, you’re not the only one.
Peer pressure often happens because you don’t want to be alone or left out, so you go with what other people think in order for them to include you. A peer can be anyone around the same age as you, like a friend, classmate, or even someone you’ve seen on TV and admire.
Peer pressure is the influence you feel from a person or group of people to do something you might not otherwise consider doing. It’s not uncommon to want to be part of a group and feel like you belong in a community, especially if you are new or less experienced than the people around you.
It’s important that you can trust the person you decide to speak with about a situation. This could be a friend, someone older, a family member, teacher, counsellor, doctor or nurse. If they don’t have the experience to provide the support you need, they could refer you to a specialist.
Talking through your concerns can be a great way to vent and release pent-up tension. Just “getting the problem out” can help you feel better. Not only does it feel great, but it can also give you new insights into what’s happening in your life.
If you’ve been keeping a situation to yourself, it may seem more overwhelming than it actually is. The person you talk with might help you see the situation in a new or different perspective, and will be more neutral about what’s going on if the outcome won’t affect them personally.
Talking about your feelings can help you make sense of them. Sometimes, just verbalising what is upsetting you to someone you trust can help you sort through your feelings, or make the situation clearer.
Talking to someone about how you’re feeling can help you sort through your feelings, put things in perspective, and release tension. The person you speak with might also suggest options that you had not thought about before.
Everyone goes through tough times, and no matter how long you’ve had something on your mind – whether for just a few hours or months – it’s important that you talk to someone about it. You don’t have to confront your setbacks alone.