Coping with pressure is stressful at all points in a person’s life. It does not matter how old you are, your source of pressure. Dealing with it can get extremely frustrating. Usually, you feel pressured when you try to go beyond your comfort zone, when things do not go how you want to, or when you try to do something new and unrealistic.
As a school kid, you might feel everything around you is constantly changing, and it might get hard to find your peace amidst the constant chaos. You have to worry about your grades, studies, extracurricular, friendships, etc. Feeling pressurized, especially in this competitive world is quite normal, and it can get manageable over time.
While pressure, as a whole, is not a bad thing, surpassing its threshold could make you lose your energy and give up. In this article, we will discuss the three main causes of pressure in school going kids and give you tips on how to deal with them.
Peer Pressure
One of the main sources of pressure during your school days is peer pressure. Peers could be your friends, classmateswho share similar interests as you. Peers can also be someone that are involved in the same activities as you and/or belong to same group that you are a part of. You may not think all the peers around you as friends, but they do influence you.
Just like the above statement, peer pressure is not always bad. When peer pressure is positive, it pushes you to be the best version of yourself. But, when it is negative, you lose yourself in the process of giving into it. Negative peer pressure can look like needing to look or act in a certain way, feeling pressured to try substances, exploring bounds of your limits just because people around you do it, etc.
Here are a few ways to help you handle and overcome negative peer pressure.
- Pay attention to your feelings. If it does not make sense to you and does not feel right, it most definitely is not. Trust your gut and instincts: more often than not, you are right.
- Step away from the situation as early as possible. If you think it is not right for you, then do not do it.
- Talk to the person who is pressurizing you, let them know that you are uncomfortable and do not like it.
- Get an adult involved, talk to them about the situation, and use their guidance.
- Learn to say ‘No’ without having to explain or apologize to the other person.
- Make friends with peers who share the same beliefs and values. They could be your ally in situations like this. You can rely on each other to get out of situations like this.
Peer pressure can be hard to deal with if you don’t open up about it. We, at Envision High, encourage both parents and students to talk and have conversations about things that matter. We think the above tips can help both parents and students in dealing with peer pressure. To learn more about our approach to education and student care, contact us at www.envisionhigh.in