1. Force yourself to do things you dislike because of FOMO (fear of missing out)

I once applied for an internship at a bank and even signed up for a coding class, despite the fact that the subject I dreaded was math and technology. Simply because at that moment, that was literally what everyone else was doing: doing internships at prestigious companies and seemingly living such colorful and interesting lives.

2. Feel disheartened when your peers succeed.

When under peer pressure, the natural reaction is to compare yourself to that person and feel disgusted at our laziness. However, you may forget that: Everyone’s life has its own timeline. You are honing values ​​that only you have, and you will bloom later.

3. Try to get along and try to be liked.

You are afraid of being hated, you are afraid to offend even one person, you are afraid to speak your mind and be true to yourself. Ironically, the more you try to please everyone, the less respect you get. And the more you try to catch up and get along. A vicious and tiring cycle.

4. Mood swings and sensitivity to everything.

Simply because whenever you start comparing yourself to another person, you are demeaning and hurting yourself. The result is: your self-esteem and psychology are so weak that you get angry at the smallest things and always feel offended by carefree statements.

5. Obsessed with external things.

When the internal world is unstable, people try to prove their worth by flaunting superficial things. Insecurities might stem from obsession with weight or achievement, resulting in the desire to show off wealth and physical attractiveness. We go to great lengths to show that we are worthy of respect and love, just to hide the wounded child inside.

There are many causes of peer pressure. The education system with its grades/tests has instilled on us such a toxic way of thinking: we’re only deemed good if we compare ourselves to others, not to who we were yesterday.

Gradually, we feel inferior, inferior, no longer believe in ourselves and let others decide our lives.

However, the past is unchangeable. But the present and the future are under control.

In the next post, I will share about how I survived peer pressure, from the perspective of a person growing up among exceptional achievers.

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I write these lines also to remind myself to be confident whenever I feel peer pressure. And if you’re experiencing it, please remember:

“No one is like you. And that is your superpower”.“This world needs you and the values ​​only you can deliver”, Ruby Nguyen.