Everyone has to deal with peer pressure at some point in his/her life. Peer pressure can be understood as the pressure among any age group of children, to conform to a group norm or act in a certain way, in consonance with the friend’s circle. Mostly, teens are known to be more vulnerable to peer-pressure, due to their tender age. The biggest threat posed by peer-pressure is a burgeoning crisis of identity, which may confuse the child as to what he/she really wants to be. In some cases, this crisis continues throughout one’s life.
Be confident of yourself
No matter how cliched it sounds, building self-confidence is the best way to counter peer pressure in a successful way. Have you ever wondered why is it that only some people set the norms, while others follow them? People look forward to those who are self assured and confident and try to be in their shoes. Only a confident person can make others follow his/her footsteps. Therefore, try to set the norm and stop feeling undue pressure to fit in a given group.
Be comfortable with your choices
Peer pressure may force you to alter your original choices and that’s exactly where it becomes problematic. Always remember that you have to live with the choices that you make in life and you can’t let your peers dictate what you choose. They can be your inspiration, but you will have to be assertive to resist their influence on the options you choose in life. You are a different individual with a separate identity, after all.
Be your leader
Instead of being led by your friends, be your own leader. This is, undoubtedly, the key to combat and avoid peer pressure. As long as you remain a part of the crowd, you will tend to give into peer pressure. You need to remind yourself that you have a unique personality, just as everyone is different from others. You can be what you are and still be an integral part of your friends’ circle. Lead yourself and act according to your diktats.
Build the mental toughness to resist
Not everyone is gifted with the kind of mental toughness required to resist the pressure or avoid the temptation to be one of ‘them’. You will have to be very headstrong to resist peer pressure and this is very much possible, provided you train yourself the right way. For instance, if you anticipate a situation which may force you to behave in a particular way, you can avoid it by constantly reminding yourself that you won’t fall into such traps. Hard, though it may seem, practice is known to make a man perfect.
