What is peer pressure and how can we deal with it? - Tenzin Nyesel

Generally, everyone has a circle of peers with whom they are comfortable talking and sharing things. But sometimes the circle you are in might not have the people with whom you are meant.

Sometimes, the people in our circle pressure us to do the work they demand, which might need to be corrected. When our peers give orders instead of advice, it leads us on the wrong path and makes us do bad things; that’s when we go through peer pressure. 

Peer pressure affects us not only physically but also mentally. Due to this, many people of young age get spoiled physically and mentally. They lose their concentration power. It decreases self-confidence and self-worth. Also, distances us from our family members and friends.

Tenzin Nyesel
Pestalozzi Children's Village India

What is peer pressure, and how can we deal with it? - Shambhavi Nautiyal

Reading Chapter 43, Sunday the 26th of March 2023

Peer pressure is the direct or indirect influence of our peers which tells us that we need to act in a certain way like the people surrounding us. It is often observed in teenage but continues as an existing matter throughout our lives regardless of age. It is a trap which makes people victims of many addicting and harmful practices. It could be wrong personality traits such as people pleasing and sometimes ruinous activities like smoking and drugs. 

It starts with compellingly curious intentions of just wanting to fit in, make friends and enjoy company, but later on, it becomes a habit. For instance, something often seen in the present youth is the following of the perpetually changing Instagram trends by young school-going teenagers to feel accepted and admired. 

We see kids going out of their way to follow social media trends and become famous because of peer pressure and the fact that this is seen as the definition of likeable and "cool". In school, too, we see popular girls and students liked by most of our peers or teachers, and we try to become like them. We observe that because of some of their habits, many people appreciate and admire them. To gain that popularity, we try to procure their idolized external features, skills or behaviours. In light of this fact, in this process, we lose ourselves. We lose our own identities. 

We never learn to love ourselves since we are compared to others by ourselves or our parents to our peers. We become even lonelier because of masking ourselves and never focusing on nurturing ourselves. We are left with no friends of our own, not even ourselves. Even when we stop trying to be like others, we still take that habit of people pleasing with us, in which we let people cross our boundaries and put them before ourselves, creating a frail sense of self-worth. However, we can fight it, come out of it and fix this whole scenario. 

As for me, I had been in some influencing company, and over time, I noticed that I had become a people pleaser and that I had been neglecting myself for my peers. I was listening more to them rather than my piece of mind. So, to fix those habits, I had to release that person from my life and start instilling healthier relationship patterns in my attitude. I had to change my outlook by changing my behaviour and thoughts. I had to make it clear to myself that it was okay for me to put myself and think about myself first before taking any decision instead of following my friends blindly and speculating about their behaviours, meaning how they treat me. I had to fix my sense of self-worth. 

So it is salient to love ourselves so that we don't compare ourselves to others and don't let others' judgements affect us, which calls out for having a deep sense of self-worth. We should practice self-compassion and not let ourselves get trapped in the vicious trap of peer pressure cause each one of us deserves to be loved, adored and treated like the queens and kings we are. So before judging yourself after seeing someone else, remind yourself of and be grateful for how confounding, worthy and attractive you are.

Always keep that in mind before wandering to search for love outside; look inside, and you will find the person who has always been and shall always be ready to love you.

Shambhavi Nautiyal Ahlcon Public School

Leadership - Aria Gupta

Do you know the difference between a leader and a boss? A boss barks at his servants to do work continuously, but a leader encourages his servants to do work and always appreciates his workers. The quality of being a leader is called Leadership. 

There are many ways to be a leader and display Leadership, like being the CEO or founder of a company. There are many people to be leaders of, But to earn Leadership, you first need to be the leader of yourself. You need to appreciate yourself and, at the same time, be a little blunt to yourself. You need to change your habits. 

Let me tell you about Sahil Lavingia, an entrepreneur of the company Gumroad, Basically the leader. In his book The Minimalist Entrepreneur, He says that when he just created Gumroad, he wanted it to be a billion-dollar company. He says ambition blinded him. He focused on creating a billion-dollar company that he didn’t realize his company was making a profit. He didn’t appreciate what he had. Appreciating is a big part of Leadership. If you can’t appreciate, you will be a boss instead of a leader. 

Aria Gupta 
IV-F 
Gyanshree School

Friendship - Arindita

Friendship is a bond between two people that can never fall apart if it is true. It is when you and another person feel comfortable and happy when you are together. 

A friend will never let you feel lonely. It is essential to have friends as they will give you company in your journey. You may often have friends that you do not talk to anymore or ones that you may have forgotten about. Sometimes when you or your friend are shifting to a new place or city, you both may feel upset to not be together anymore. But friendship doesn’t end here. Even if you two are not close or apart, a true friendship will still find a way to continue. 

If you have a true friend, they would never leave you or judge you by your colour, figure, money etc. They will always be by your side, no matter what. With a true friend, you wouldn’t need to find a reason to smile; you would already have it.

My elder sister is my Best Friend as I always feel free to talk to her tell her everything and all of my feelings that I don’t feel free to tell someone else. We laugh together at random things; we talk about what we think about others. We NEVER run out of topics. We also watch Peppa pig together. I always wish that we never fall apart. We also have fights, which is always common between friends.

“The most valuable gift you can receive is an honest friend”-Stephen Richards.

Arindita
Grade V-A
Gyanshree School