Peer pressure is one of the biggest problems teenagers face in their everyday lives. We’ve all heard that saying “If your friends jumped off of a cliff, would you jump too?” but maybe we haven’t really thought about the meaning of it.

It’s easy to answer “no” to metaphoric situations, like jumping off a cliff, but when we are put in real life scenarios, it is hard to turn others down. Anyone who says it isn’t is a liar or probably doesn’t get out much. The only way we can “prevent” giving into peer pressure is to learn right from wrong, pay attention to your feelings and beliefs, and surround yourself with others who have the same ideas or respect yours.

Everybody wants to fit in and be well-liked. But not everyone is able to realize that being those things is not synonymous with following the crowd. Most of the time people will do what everyone else is doing just to seem “cool” and get others to like them, and most of the time, no one really cares whether you do it, but if they do, they’re probably people you don’t want to waste time with anyway.

I believe, once you fully figure out your goals and what you want in life and are confident in them, you will gain the ability to see that. I also believe that this is one of the hardest things you will do in life, especially for high schoolers who are just in the beginning of their journey of “finding themselves.”

What I’m trying to say is, peer pressure is going to happen. It’s human nature. Giving into peer pressure is also going to happen. This is where we will learn some of life’s biggest lessons and will ultimately help us grow. Without making mistakes and paying the consequences, we will never figure out right from wrong, which is all a part of growing up. The only thing we can do is grow confidence in who we are, surround ourselves with friends with the same mindsets, and be able to say “no,” boldly.