In the last installment I listed four ways to help you overcome peer pressure. I wanted to retouch on this subject because I have had a couple people come up to me asking about it again.
Everybody, at one time or another, has felt the power of peer pressure. It comes at us when we are faced with a decision that effects what others think about us. When someone passes you a joint and just when you’re about to say no everyone gets quiet and looks at you. How about when someone has asked if you have had sex yet? Or on a smaller scale when you are pressured to lie. How do we handle these situations? What kind of feelings are being activated on the inside of us?
Let’s find out!
During that moment when peer-pressure starts to work on your mind. Lots of things start running through the mind. We get filled with different kinds of fear. Fear of man- what will other people think if I don’t do it. Fear of rejection- if I don’t do it they won’t like me. Fear of consequences- if I do it what kind of trouble am I going to get in. We get hit with waves of emotions: fear, anxiety, and sometimes confusion.
So how do we learn how to handle it? What do we do? Looking back at what I put down for the previous post for number one. We need to know what we believe in. A ship without a rudder goes in circles. A car without a steering wheel never reaches its destination. You without beliefs, principles, and goals will never get any where.
From personal experiences I have been in, each time I have weighed the cost of whether or not to succumb to what people have wanted me to do. And each time I have looked at my goals, what I want to do with my life, and who I want to be. And each time what has kept me from falling into the trap of peer pressure was those goals and beliefs.
Just like you hear on tv in those sports movies, “Keep your eyes on the prize.” The truth is that in five years no one is going to remember it kid that got drunk because he got pressured into it. But they will always remember the kid that stood up for his beliefs because he would not compromise, they will always remember you.
If you are struggling with peer pressure and you would like to talk to someone, contact us at www.rebuildingfamiliesfoundation.org. You can e-mail us at prayer@rebuildingfamiliesfoundation.org. And you could also comment us here.
Im tormented with the way i was treated when i was 16. like a joke ridiculous. Im 31 now and i continue to hurt. i stood up for myself sometimes but most often i beat myself down. Im not successful, and still feel im 16. i want to b happy. but i feel all those peers who’v ridiculed me have grown older more powerful and its easier for them to ridicule me now.