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If you end up in a situation where you feel uncomfortable, graciously leave the situation and go home. If you’re involved in a more complicated or even dangerous situation, talk to an adult you trust like your parents, your professor, or even the police if you feel the need. You can always stay anonymous if you go to the police. Always remember that you will deal with the consequences of your own actions, so avoiding peer pressure is a good way to stay out of trouble and keep your life on track. When you behave in ways that contradict your core values, your self-esteem suffers, and you may lose feelings of autonomy and control over your life. This can easily lead to other poor choices that further negatively affect your physical and mental health.
- Speaking negatively about life and saying words that suggest that the teen has given up all hope.
- They gain the strength needed to say “No,” even if it may be unpopular with friends.
- Dealing with this pressure can be challenging, but it’s important to reflect on your own personal values and preferences and make decisions based on those rather than on peer pressure.
- Managing Peer Pressure to Drink – Learn more about how you can handle the difficulty of pressure from others to drink.
- Your life counts, and you can make a difference in this world.
You may not consider all of your how to deal with peer pressure to be friends, but they can all influence you. It’s important to prepare for dealing with peer pressure. Being able to spot signs of peer pressure will allow you to intervene when you recognize that your child or someone you care about is headed down an unhealthy road. Many of the signs of peer pressure can also be signs of other things, like bullying or mental health concerns. Any changes in behavior or mood are worth investigating. Rather than offer support, some peers create a sense of guilt or even shame.
Tips for Coping With Peer Pressure
However, there is still a standard set by the group to behave in a certain way. David Susman, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience providing treatment to individuals with mental illness and substance use concerns. Give us a call and we can help find the right treatment program for you or your loved one – even if it’s not ours! The National Center for Families Learning nonprofit website, Wonderopolis, expresses the importance of good peers. An article they published states that good friends should be loyal and accepting of who you are.
The truth is that many fewer college students drink or use drugs than people assume. It’s similar with sex and “hooking up”—most students have a skewed idea of what others are doing. Knowing the facts can help you to resist pressures based on the idea that “everyone is doing it” and that you must party to fit in. When dealing with peer pressure, start by choosing friends who won’t pressure you do things. Your friends should accept you for who you are without wanting to change you. If your friends don’t make bad decisions, you’re less likely to make them, too.
Fairfax County Public Schools
If they know that a group of teens tend to look for trouble, avoid hanging out with them. If they know a corner can be dangerous, walk around the block in the other direction. Honesty goes a long way in reducing the harmful effects of peer pressure. Speak to the person or group of people who may be causing feelings of unease or uncertainty. Explain why their actions are impactful and kindly ask them to stop. It’s okay to distance yourself from people and groups that are not serving you in a positive aspect.
It’s rare, in other words, to hear adolescents complain that they’re being irresistibly pressured by peers to study more, stay away from drugs and alcohol or respect authority. Peer groups that foster pro-social behavior tend to favor connection and influence over pressure.
Alcohol Housing Support Team
Give them https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to consider your sample situations and ask them how they would respond. Parents play a key role in supporting teens to deal with peer pressure. Pressure is a normal, challenging part of life for everyone. But how we handle it varies widely from person to person. Adolescence is a time when peer pressure, in particular, may seem the hardest to deal with. That’s because, in attempting to fit in with peers, teens want to please. They don’t want to say no for fear of alienating themselves.
If you ever need to talk about this or anything else, feel free to get in touch with us. If your friends are always bugging you to do something you’re not comfortable with, remember that true friends like you for who you are, not who they want you to be. Fight peer pressure by taking the side of the underdog. Supporting others’ opinions will send the message that you think for yourself.
