My smartest advice avoiding peer pressure is to first recognize you can’t avoid peer pressure.

I think a common mistake we all can make over and over in life is to think we can avoid things. Many things such as pressures, emotions, feelings, fears, etc. The reality is, if you can find effective, healthy coping mechanisms for any situation in your life, a trust within yourself can be built- that over time can be relied on and that manifests into a habit. That type of habit will be the thing to keep you focused on facing situations without feeling as though they need to be avoided.

When it comes to peer pressure, specifically, you can be sure that there will always be someone that is going to do, say, or be something that does not represent the person you want to be. The sooner you decide for yourself that you know exactly what your values are, what you will achieve in life, right from wrong, healthy from unhealthy behaviors, and make a commitment to those things, the sooner you can begin to “cope” with peer pressure.

Now, do not get me wrong, you may not know what you want to be when you grow up, you might not know if what seems important today could be meaningless to you tomorrow, you might even question from time to time right from wrong. Sometimes these things slip into a grey area. However, the most important thing is to start with simple things that form healthy physical, mental, emotional and spiritual habits.

When you were a young child you were taught to brush your teeth twice a day for healthy teeth and good hygiene. If somewhere down the line something you were faced with had you sacrificing something as simple as brushing your teeth twice a day then a red flag could go up warning you that one of the healthy commitments/habits you’ve made to yourself is being debated. This is the point where no matter who or what is challenging your commitment could have little or no chance “pressuring” you to do or say anything that would sacrifice that habit. That is one example of something so simple but so applicable. The thing with peer pressure, and actually most pressure, is you can count on it coming back more than once. The hardest part is to continue to stand by your “commitments/habits” to yourself each time.

Using the same example, if someone you trusted asked you to stop brushing your teeth all together you might tell them they are crazy and absolutely NOT! Now let’s say that same person asks you over the next month to stop brushing your teeth just for a week, you still could probably easily say NO! The problem comes in when after two months of that person asking repeatedly, they then ask if maybe you could just consider not brushing just one time, this evening before bed. This is exactly the time when healthy habits and the understanding of why they are healthy for you would kick in. The easiest way to combat that pressure at that point is to explain not only for yourself but to this person exactly why brushing your teeth twice daily is important and specifically important to you. Without being clear about a few key things that are important to you, it will be so hard to withstand the constant pressure that is out there.

Keeping a healthy body, mind and spirit gets you many successes in life, that’s a proven fact. No one specific person can tell you exactly what perfect way to get there but I know I’ve learned one thing for sure: anything that can cause ANY potential harm to either your mind, body and/or spirit will begin to vacuum out that potential for success and, in the process, it can take the unique make-up of who you are OUT of you.

In one sentence, my biggest advice for avoiding peer pressure is to know what a healthy mind, body and spirit look and feel like. Never, under any circumstances, for anyone or anything, sacrifice the opportunity to feel that and know that every minute of every day. Success is within you and that healthy place!

Peace, Blessings and Magic

Jodi