In school, you are faced with so many pressures. These are not just pressures from school like loads of homework, but you are also confronted with pressures from your peers to indulge in some activities. It may be pressure to smoke, to have sex, to take drugs or to cheat. Of course, you know very well that all these things are wrong but sometimes it may feel like you are missing out if you don’t join them. Well, you are not alone and you can do something about it. No! You don’t have to give in to the pressure, you don’t have to follow the crowd, you don’t have to do things because others are doing it, you can be different, you can stand up for something and to anything. How then do you get the strength to resist peer pressure?
- Be on the look-out: Anticipate the problem. Often times, you see trouble in advance. For instance, you see a group of your schoolmates up ahead, and they’re smoking. How likely is it that they’ll offer you a cigarette? By anticipating the problem, you’ll be ready either to avoid it or to confront it.
- Think about the consequences: Our actions are highly consequential. So before you indulge, STOP & WAIT TO THINK. For instance, if you are being pressured to have sex, think about the possibility of getting an STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) and the likelihood of becoming pregnant. Ask yourself ‘How will I feel afterwards? What might be the outcome? How would my actions affect others that care about me the most? Tempoarily, you might please your friends and feel accepted but in the long run, you would have sacrificed your moral values for something as insignificant as fitting in.
- Decide: If you know the reason why you are saying ‘NO’ to something, why something is bad, it can give you the strength to say NO.
- Take Action: You do not have to give your peers a lecture. A firm NO will suffice. The more you stand your ground on an issue, the stronger you grow and the more your peers become aware of what you would not tolerate. By default, they would not dare pressure anymore. To make your stand non-negotiable, you could say the following:
- ‘Count me out
- ‘You should know me better’
- You know very well that I don’t indulge in such sort’
The key is too make your response firm and give no room for compromise.
BEWARE: Your peers will taunt you. They will try to bully you. They may mock you. They may say stuffs like “What is wrong with you….you chicken hearted boy” or “He isn’t man enough”. You must understand that statements like these are majorly about peer pressure. A way of coercing you to be like them. In this case, you have the following options:
- You could absorb the taunt and say “You’re right,I am scared!” Then briefly state your reason (like the consequences)
- You could deflect the pressure by stating your position, while not making an issue over it.
- You could return the pressure. State your reason for refusing and then appeal to your peers’ intellect by saying. for example, I thought you were too smart to sell out cheaply to sex.
If they continue to taunt you, leave the scene because the more you stay, the more intense the pressure becomes.
Stand up to peer pressure. Dare to be different. That way, you make a difference. Keep in mind that most of your peers who pressure you to indulge in unwholesome activities have not thought about their actions to arrive at their decision. No! They are only going with the crowd. By and large, they have yielded to the influence of others without thinking for themselves. Think for yourself by following the four steps outlined and make a decision. Be different. Be YOU.
