Our Everly Mag Writing Leaders were asked the question, what do you think is the biggest pressure teens your age are facing today?  We wanted to know what different types of pressure different teens might face and how we can all help each other with relieving some of this pressure. 

This article was written by our writing leader Mikayla.  Get to know our Summer 2018 Leaders here!

In high school, there are so many different pressures put on a teen. Everyone just wants to fit in and be liked. As a teenager, there are many different choices we make that shape who we are. Different pressures can change the choices we make. People in our lives, people close to us, can be some of the biggest pressures that we have to deal with which for anyone, especially teens, can be extremely difficult.

People try to make these important decisions for you, which can shape you into who they want you to be rather than who you want to be. You’re told to act a certain way and like certain things in order to be worthy of friendship from a group of people when in reality that isn’t who you are. There is the pressure to act the way everyone expects, which isn’t always right. The people who want you to change act as if your interests don’t matter or are weird. The pressure is sometimes way more to handle than even possible for one person and it causes them to give in. To them, your goals will become worthless and you are told that what you want is pointless.

One of the most important lessons to learn in high school is stay true to yourself and be who you want to be without input from anyone. Yes, this may cause you to lose people in your life along the way but honestly why pretend you are someone you aren’t just to be friends with someone who doesn’t even appreciate who you truly are? Why should someone else get to dictate who you are and who you are going to be?

Being yourself will make you overall, a happier person. Your self confidence will improve over time and you are able to have real conversations about things you love without feeling embarrassed or ignored. If you are being true to yourself, then you will find people who have similar interests and values as you do, even if it takes a bit of time.

Teens and adults can help relieve this pressure by accepting the people close to us for who they are and who they want to be. Let them explore interests as long as they are safe and find the people that they want to spend time with. Making them feel like they have to change who they are will never help them. If they feel the acceptance from adults and friends in their life then they will be able to show their true self more freely.

No one will ever be happy being untrue to who they are. Sometimes the peer pressure so so hard, you can’t stand up to it. This is why I think that the hardest pressure for teens is the pressure to be somebody that you aren’t. Stay true to yourself even if its hard because it feels so rewarding to love the person you are.

How do you stay true to yourself? Comment below!  

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