Mental Health Advice With Stan: How to Manage Peer Pressure From Others

By Stan Popovich

Dealing with peer pressure can very stressful. It can be verydifficult not to give in to your friends and peers in doing something you donot want to do.

As a result, here are 6 tips on how to manage the stresses andanxieties of dealing with peer pressure from others.

Know where you stand on a certain issue

Ask yourself if you are willing to do something that your friendswant you to do. Think about it and determine for yourself where you stand on acertain task. Once you decide what you are going to do, don’t change your mindif your friends start to peer pressure you into doing something they want youto do.

Communicate your decision to your friends

Explain to your friends what you plan on doing. Give them reasonson why you feel this way. Be willing to answer your friend’s questions so theyunderstand where you are coming from. If your friends get on your case on aregular basis, then maybe it is best to find other friends.

Be firm in your decision and show confidence

Some people will continue to argue with you and this is where youneed to show that you mean business. Do not give in to their arguments. Do whatis right and stand firm with your decision. This can be tough but remind themthat you do not feel comfortable in doing a certain task.

Hang out with different people who respect your decisions

If your friends really like you, they need to respect you. Nobodywants to be with people who are trying to get them into some kind of trouble.You always have the choice to spend your time with the people you like.

Do what works best for you

You will have to deal with what could happen if your friendspressure you into doing something that could get you in trouble. If somethinggoes wrong, your friends will not take the blame for you. Think about theconsequences before deciding how you want to proceed when dealing with peerpressure.

Just walk away

You have the choice to walk away from your friends who are tryingto get you to do something you do not want to do. You’re better off justleaving your friends if they are making you anxious and stressed out. All youhave to do is to tell your friends that you need some space and then just walkaway.

Stan Popovich is a Penn State graduate and the nationally known anxiety  author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear”— an easy-to-read  overcoming anxiety book that’s helped thousands of people to confidently  manage their persistent fears and anxieties. Stan has over 20 years of personal experience in dealing with fear and anxiety. For more free mental health advice visit Stan’s website at managingfear.com and read Stan’s articles and his blog. The above is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Mr. Popovich is not a medical professional. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.

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