4 reasons not to give in to social pressure

There is something about pressure from loved ones,
peers and people in our social circle that places such a
heavy weight on us. It makes it difficult to do anything
but give in and dance to their rhythm. Sometimes, it
works out well for us, but most times it doesn’t.
Jumia Travel, the online travel agency, shares 4
reasons to strengthen your resolve and put off the
weight of societal pressure. Remember, you are not in
this world to live up to the expectations of others; you
therefore have to be strong, assertive and learn to pave
your own path. This way your decisions are your
decisions and your mistakes are your mistakes. You’ll
learn and live better this way.
Anger and Resentment
When you give in to societal pressure, you are doing
something against your beliefs, principles and most
importantly against your will. There is little chance that
such will not give you a load of anger issues to deal
with. You’ll find yourself angry at those who pressured
you, yourself for giving in and everything that becomes
a consequence of your actions. You weren’t given a
choice, now you are stuck with what you didn’t want
or choose, that’s enough to make anyone angry and
resentful, and that’s not a life to live.
Depression
Especially if you give into societal pressure and things
don’t work out well, you become sad and
disappointed in yourself for not being assertive
enough to stand your ground and giving in. Such
feelings of sadness and disappointment if experienced
for a prolonged period, without being checked or
treated, can degenerate into depression. The individual
thus falls into bouts of depression, and in extreme
cases, self-hatred and suicidal thoughts and feelings.
Loss of Individuality
Each time you give into societal pressure, you are more
or less compelled into going by everything your peers,
loved ones and those in your social circle think is
right. You tend to blindly imitate them, adopt their
tastes and force yourself to begin to see things the
way they do. Ultimately, their likes become yours, their
ideals become yours, their beliefs become yours, and
their pressures become yours. You thus lose your
original way of looking at life, which eventually
devastates your confidence.
Eating Disorders
Particularly for those under societal pressure for their
bodies to look a certain way or be a certain size,
disordered eating like binging and purging result from
the struggle to regulate the negative effects of this
pressure. The person therefore binges to feel better
after a period of restrained eating, and then purges
(self-induced vomiting, intake of diuretics, performing
enemas and laxative abuse) to relieve the emotions of
depression, anxiety and guilt caused by binging. Also,
over-eating or binge-eating to gain more weight
because of perceived ‘over-thinness’ is another
example of this kind of disordered eating.


SOURCES... VANGUARD