How to Cope With Peer Pressure?

Last Updated on April 19, 2022 by Sanidhya Arora

Peer pressure is something most teenagers feel at some point, so trust me when I say its normal. I’ve felt peer pressure too, and based of my experience, I will tell you some and tips and tricks to deal with peer pressure and ways in which you can avoid it completely.

Before I dive into this guide, peer pressure can sometimes be an invisible feeling to you too, so let’s first identify what is peer pressure? In simple terms, peer pressure is the influence of friends and other people on the choices we make. A simple example to explain better is, ask yourself this, have you ever bought something just because your friend, has it? If the answer is yes, then you are a victim of peer pressure, and as I’ve said before, most teens have experienced this.

Ways to cope with peer pressure:

• Talk to your parents
• Stay away from ‘so called friends’
• Don’t get easily influenced by peers
• Confrontation
• Start ignoring
• Leave the situation/conversation
• Find a new friends group

1. Talk to your parents:

Trust me, your parents will always give you the best advice. Your parents/guardian knows you the best, so their advice will be more helpful and personalised. This is the first thing you should do when feeling peer pressure. Be honest to them! Do not have a fear of them being judgemental. They will NOT!

2. Stay away from ‘so called friends’:

You will always come across two types of friends, those who genuinely care for you and are your well-wishers, and then there are those who are only your friend for their own interests, and really don’t care about you. It is important to identify your true friends as early as possible. Removing ‘fake friends’ from your life will really make you feel better.

3. Don’t get easily influenced by your peers:

To stay away from peer pressure, you must stop getting influenced by your peers. It is important to have your own sense of right and wrong. (In case of any doubts about your decisions, do ask your parents or a teacher you totally trust.) Make your own judgement, and if you feel something isn’t right, just don’t bother giving that person any attention.

4. Confrontation:

Confront the person who is pressuring you. Now this does not mean you go and start a fight. Just tell the person how you’re feeling and ask them to stop. This might seem as one of the challenging things to do on the list, but it is the most effective.

5. Start ignoring:

The easiest thing to do when someone is pressuring you, is to just start ignoring them. Make an excuse if you have to, but most importantly, stop meeting up with this person.

6. Leave the situation/conversation:

If you feel uncomfortable with what’s happening around you, just politely leave the conversation.  Make an excuse or be honest. Do not leave the side of politeness!  Confrontation is important, and how to do this effectively has already been discussed.

7. Find a new group of friends:

This can be tough for you at start, as it is not easy to start fresh with a new set of friends, but this is definitely the better option. Try finding friends that have similar interests to you. Doing so might put you into a difficult situation with your current friends, but gradually things will get much better.

How to join a new friend group:

• Find people with similar interests as you
• Join in on their conversations
• Be open with them
• Be yourself

If you are still stuck, check out the article on how to make new friends

Remember: Your fear is just in your head. Be confident and slowly you will start feeling comfortable. Taking the first step is always the hardest part of the journey!

Another helpful article:

Importance of getting sleep

Summary:

Dealing with peer pressure always seems impossible, but it isn’t. These are some of the most effective ways to deal with negative peer pressure. Finding the right friends early on is really important, and once you do, everything will seem much easier. Realising peer pressure from the start is vital, this way you can deal with it quicker. Trust your mind, and you will not go wrong!