As a teenager, you must have felt tired of comparing yourself to your peers at many times.
This doesn’t go away as you grow older. On the contrary, you feel more pressure when your friends get a good job, high salary and stable family life.
That’s called peer pressure , or peer pressure . However, this kind of pressure is not necessarily bad if you know how to take advantage and convert it into motivation.
What is peer pressure?
Usually, peers are often understood as friends around them. However, it should be more fully defined as anyone of similar age and status in society.
It could be a classmate, a friend of the same age, a colleague from the same company, or someone with similar work experience in the same field.
Peer pressure refers to the influence that these peers can have on each other. When faced with this kind of pressure, you will always feel that you have to achieve the same things that your peers in society are doing in order to be liked and respected.
Peer pressure is often thought of as a negative, but in reality, it doesn’t always have a negative effect.
The positive side that peer pressure brings is that it motivates and motivates you to become better, to always strive and grow.
However, if you put too much emphasis on competition and problems over lose, peer pressure will give the feeling that you have to surpass them, have to become better than that. From there, you will force yourself into the stresses and strains of progress and change.
Going deeper, peer pressure can also cause other negative emotions, such as guilt, low self-esteem, and jealousy of others, etc.
Why do you experience peer pressure?
There are many reasons that stem from both your inner thoughts and external influences that make you preoccupied with the achievements of others.
It could be a comparison or acclaim from those around you for someone your age. And unknowingly you put a lot of pressure on yourself to be as successful as that person.
Peer pressure often occurs in situations such as when you want to fit in, you are limited by social norms, or when you are stuck in a maze of self-discovery.
At these times, negative emotions or guilt are easy to appear and make you think of the success of other peers.
How to deal with Peer pressure
To overcome peer pressure, you need to overcome your own barriers. Establish and cherish life principles that are more oriented towards personal values.
Appreciate your feelings
You don’t have to change or do something like anyone else if you’re uncomfortable or it’s not having a positive impact on your life.
This does not mean that you are stubborn and refuse to change in order to improve. Everyone has completely different lives, ideals and goals. Things that are useful to other people’s lives are not necessarily what you need yourself.
Therefore, it is important to always be clear about yourself and what you really need.
Know your limits and conditions
Before putting pressure on yourself to be “beyond the people”, think about the limits of your abilities and the conditions you have at hand.
A common cause of peer pressure is taking other people’s standards to impose on your life. They may have more favorable conditions, or have been preparing for a long time for their goals.
Therefore, you just need to clearly define your goals and limits. Then work hard to achieve the aspirations you have set out. There will be times when you feel impatient when you find yourself succeeding slower than others.
However, everyone’s success is not measured against a standard of time. As long as you’re still striving and on the right track, it doesn’t matter how long.
Stay away from negative influences
Sometimes, peer pressure can be resolved simply with outright denials. No one can pressure or force you to do things you don’t feel right, or even criticize your decisions.
Always remember, the right to choose what to do, what to prioritize first is always in your hands. Every decision made is not right or wrong, only suitable for you and your life or not.
And if you feel that what your peers are doing isn’t what you need, refuse instead of trying to follow them, just because you want to be as successful as they are.
Get support from loved ones
Peer pressure is always understood as a negative emotion such as jealousy, envy towards others. That’s why many people try to hide their feelings, instead of sharing.
However, that’s when you need to get support from a trusted person such as a parent, relative, friend, teacher, or career counselor.
A trusted person can listen to you and offer objective advice tailored to your situation.
Improve yourself
Have a positive attitude towards peer pressure, that it is your opportunity to see what you are lacking.
You shouldn’t just feel pressured or regretful because of what your peers have achieved and you haven’t. Try to conquer it to become better yourself. However, you also need to make sure that these are the right values for you.
In general, peer pressure is not as scary as you think. You just need to understand yourself and learn how to take advantage of those pressures to develop yourself.
Under no circumstances should you compare yourself or try harder than anyone else. You just need to do what’s best and just enough for you!
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