Making friends is a key part of university life, and one which has many positive impacts on your mental health, having the right company, someone to talk to and make memories with makes most people feel more at home and supported. However, finding the right group can sometimes be hard, and trying to fit in to different friendship circles can leave you feeling vulnerable and cause you to act out of character and against your wish, this is called peer pressure.
I’m sure we’ve all been dragged on a night out when all we really want to do is curl up in bed and watch Netflix, but whilst spontaneous nights can be up there with the best, it is important to understand where the line is between encouraging and pressuring. Going on a night out after peer encouragement, means they’ve changed your mind, the temptation has left you longing for the dance floor. Pressuring means your actions have changed, you’re now on your way to the club, but your mind hasn’t, you really don’t want to be there.
Taking drugs and drinking alcohol are common areas for peer pressure, particularly at university. As previously mentioned in our “Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Mental Health” post, drugs and alcohol can largely exacerbate mental health conditions. Therefore, you can imagine the enhanced mental effect if you take drugs and alcohol when you don’t really want to. The actual pressure from your peers also contributes to the detrimental effects on mental health conditions such as anxiety.
Our top tips for overcoming peer pressure include:
- Have the confidence to say “no”-if your friends don’t respect that, are they friends’ worth having in the first place?
- Follow your own interests-mixing with people interested in the same things as you will help avoid uncomfortable situations.
- Have an open mind-not judging people for what they do should encourage a non-judgemental and respectful attitude towards you, too.
If things get more serious, make sure you tell someone. Like with all mental health conditions, you need to speak out, either to a family member, friend, or at the Student Union Support Centre.
For more information visit https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/dealing-with-peer-pressure.
#StayStrong