HOW TO HANDLE PEER PRESSURE

Peer pressure can be a very strong force to overcome and before you realize you will be sailing in the same boat with them.  This is where your values have to be put in place but first, you need to belief in yourself before you can be able to handle the negative pressure. 

Ø  Learn to say “no” when you don’t feel like doing something that your peers want you to do and mean it.   I know it is tough to be the only one in a group who says “no” to peer pressure, but you can do it.  Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know what you want and the right thing to do. Inner strength and self-confidence can help you stand firm. 

Ø  Make an excuse and leave; walk away, and resist doing something when you know better.   If you realize you peers are talking of doing something you wouldn’t like to be involved in; just excuse yourself and leave. 

Ø  Surround yourself with friends with values similar to yours and back each other up.  Choose your friends wisely and get people who get along with easily.  Don’t choose friends who will be a bad influence to you when you clearly know that you are not strong enough to handle that.

Ø  Look for positive role models.  By doing so you will get involved in doing positive things till you won’t have time for negative influence. 

Ø  Evaluate your friendships.   True friends will like you for who you are and therefore you don’t need to compromise to please others. 

Ø  Don’t lie to yourself that everyone is doing it; how sure are you that they are?  People say things and do the opposite of what they said.  Some of them just say things because they know that is trend or what their peers would like to hear but the truth is, they are not doing it at all.  We are created differently and there is no any given time that everyone in an age group will be doing the same thing the same way.

Ø  Set priorities in life and understand what you would like to do.  Find ways to excel; focus your attention on following your personal goals instead of goals of the group.

Ø  Be your own best friend.  Love yourself the way you are and have self confidence.  By doing so it will be hard for your peers to tell you otherwise and use it to make you do something you wouldn’t want to do.  You can never lie to yourself; therefore listen to your inner self.  As long as you know what is right and wrong and pay attention to your inner feelings and values then I know you can make the right decision.  

Ø  Get away from pressure zones.  This will keep you away from temptation; for example, if you stay around drinking zones then you are likely to be influenced and start drinking. 

Ø  Be contended with what you have or who you are.  By doing so it will be easier for you to understand that it’s one step at a time and in due time you will be able to get to higher levels and have more through hard work.

Ø  Watch your moods; we all have our weak and strong points, therefore control yourself lest you get into trouble with your peers

Ø  Try to help a friend who is having trouble resisting peer pressure. This will help build you up as you help others. Therefore you will get more people into your circle where you can back each other up. 

There are circumstances when peer pressure is too much for you to handle.  In this case try and talk to someone you can trust. Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake because we all make mistakes.