How to Handle Peer Pressure

StrengthsTheatre
4 min readMay 28, 2021
How to Handle Peer Pressure

Peer Pressure is where peers of a group try to show their influential power by influencing an individual to do things the group wants him or her to do. It is a fact that feeling negative peer pressure can push an individual into feeling lost, detached from his or her family, etc. It can also make an individual fall into depression for a long time. Negative peer pressure causes a loss of individuality. It mostly happens in school and many teenagers are known to be prey to this overwhelmingly harmful thing. Negative peer pressure can affect a person’s decision and that might lead the student to suffer a lifetime with one bad decision. Positive peer pressure, on the other hand, can help a student to be a better version of themselves, learn new skills and hobbies, etc. Even though students go through peer pressure, they are not alone in this. Negative peer pressure affects both the student and their family.

Here are the ways for both parents and teens that can tell you how to handle peer pressure:

How Parents should handle Peer Pressure:

Parents sometimes feel pressure from other adults, social media, or articles that are about parenting.

  • Think about what matters the most:

Parents should think about what is most important to them. There are already many articles and interviews talking about how an ideal parent should raise a child, how to be an inspiration for your kid, etc. Setting these social norms aside parents should ask themselves what they want to see in their child. Having a goal about how their family should be will help them to stay focused on the development and growth of their child rather than the articles and trends about parenting.

  • Parental Instincts Never Lie:

Every parent has wildly different views on having a sleepover with friends or staying late after school. That means a big deal to you might not mean that much to the other friend’s family. You have to decide what your child should or shouldn’t do unless they can make decisions for themselves. It is okay to say no to something that seems unwise or unsafe to you, even if it means saying no makes you unpopular among other parents temporarily.

Visit: components of emotional intelligence

  • Trust your kid and what is best for them:

Many times, as a parent you have to make hard choices that your child at that time might not like. For example, saying no to go out with friends on a weekend trip or staying out of the house for long after school. You know what is best for them and peer pressure from other parents or ‘what you should do articles’ about parenting are something you should ignore and stand by your choice. At the same time, you should be able to trust your kid. It builds a good parent-child relationship and that will help a parent to not get affected by peer pressure from society.

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How Teenagers should handle Peer Pressure:

  • Know how you feel:

Pay attention to how you feel. If your gut feeling is saying something is wrong, you should trust your guts and step away from the situation. The others may seem comfortable in that situation but if you are not, excuse yourself from the scene.

  • Talk Directly:

If a peer is pressuring you and hurting you, tell them to stop and state why or how it is hurting you. If they don’t quit peer pressure, you can take the next step and talk with your school’s superiors about this situation.

  • Communicate with your Parents:

Negative peer pressure can be harmful to your mental health as well as physical. Telling your parents about what you face in school will make you feel a little light and they can also help you to handle the peer pressure by giving you strategies on how not to let it affect you and how to make it stop.

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  • “No is No”:

It is easier said than done when you are in front of a group that’s been pressuring you to do wrong things. But saying ‘no’ to something you don’t approve of is crucial. Until you build up the courage to say ‘no’ to their faces, you can try excusing yourself out of the group by saying ‘your parents want you to come home’ or ‘you were supposed to meet a teacher after school’.

Personality Development classes play a huge role in handling peer pressure. They can be crucial for both parents and teenagers who are dealing with peer pressure. Personality development for kids not only helps them believe in themselves but also helps them find out their passion and set goals for the future.

These were a few tips on how parents and teenagers can handle peer pressure. It is not easy but with the help of these tips, it can be possible to neglect peer pressure and rise above it and focus on positive things.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.

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