Peer Pressure Refusal Strategies
- Heather Jévan
- Apr 5, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 15, 2019
Peer Pressure can be overwhelming
I was once a teacher, or health educator, I should say. I would go into the classrooms and teach more than 300+ students within a week. I was so excited and enthused about teaching. I taught the students health promotion, life and leadership skills. I realized that I found myself loving the teacher-student relationship.
From then on, I set a goal to become a life coach and here I am now, walking that path. I want to help any and everyone that needs help especially when it comes to being a model for the teens. I am very passionate about teaching the teens prevention strategies. I learned all my classroom management skills while I taught a program that was based off drug and violence prevention.
But the main reason I came up with some peer-pressure refusal strategies is to help some student get out of those harmful, dangerous, or difficult situations that every teenager would eventually have to address or be face with.
During my teachings, I found a few models and activities that I would love to share. Some models were adopted from others and some were adapted (adjusted) to my liking. Due to most students of the students I taught were not able to relate to most models without major adjustments.
Remind you, that most models are only good for students that have the same values as their environment, psychological, and or physical predicament. Most teens are lacking in certain areas which makes it difficult for some teens to relate or feel apart of the crowd (classroom).
I learned and also molded my own list of strategies, with my students in mind. My strategies address certain issues or particular approaches based on what I learned from the students I taught. Most of the students are in the Midwest area, where most of the college towns are predominantly white. Most of the minority students live in high crime, low-income, poverty areas with high trauma impacted children. In most case, most of the children are branded by the individualized education program plan that is very prominent in the Midwest schools.
Most children in the classroom now are relating more to visual and audio teachings.
With all that being said, one of the most problematic thing to overcome during the adolescent years is peer pressure. Most youth are not able to get away from certain situations because of their environment and/or having a choice when it comes to choosing a particular school that suits them the best.
Many youth are overwhelmed with stress as well as emotional distress. The youth of today, lack mindful strategies to utilize on a daily basis because they aren't aware that their abnormal circumstances which they consider to be the norm is not normal or healthy.
Usually, teen situations must be overcome by a plan, a thought out plan, that could give a teen a possible way to get out a situation without hurting someone else's feeling and eliminating any violence. Addressing these issues the best we know how can be easy for some and a lot harder for others. Because some teens were only taught a particular way and that is, to survive.
Furthermore, when a peer influences another peer, we must understand that this is normal. Teens influence other teens to do things regardless of the fact that it may be right, wrong, deadly, or helpful. Most teens don't know what to do when difficult situations arise. There are some teens that never stop and think about the consequences.
Therefore, most teens just do things because they want to be liked or want to fit in. But reminding teens is part of my mission. I wan to know that there is always a way out or around any given situation. These requires the teen to think and actual problem solve. I wan the teen to know that it is never too late to start thinking differently and utilizing their growth-mindset which requires teens to actually rethink before they act (in a positive way or outlook).
So, with all of my days I enjoyed with the students that I encountered on a daily, I was able to come up with a list of strategies that can be used. The few peer pressure refusal strategies that I have have been used and taught in a classroom. I came up with some strategies myself as well as some I incorporated over the years from other sources.
Enjoy the following strategies. These strategies are to be used to either avoid negative consequences or get out of a situation. I really encourage that when using these strategies that you not only use one. You may have to use more than two in any given situation.
Heather Rose's Peer Pressure Refusal Strategies For Teens:
I must say, that I often reflected while I taught the students prevention strategies.
I remember thinking of my teenage years. I reflect it being a bit difficult to relate to the adults in my life because I didn't have my mom in my house growing up. I took this very hard. I felt speechless and I had no choice in who was my step-mother. I also felt like I didn't connect well to my father anymore either. My step-mother was more of a mentor. But lacked that mother-daughter bond that comes with some cuddly-loving times to share with a young child at seven.
My step-mother was not someone I could talk to about girl stuff. She was a military step-mom with stern beliefs. I loved the fact that she was straight to the point but unfortunately it never replaced what my mom had to offer me, love, unconditional love at that.
The assertive characteristic and mannerism she had was okay. But I often doubted myself as a teen because there wasn't much of a balance of that loving parenting, even with my dad being there in the house. My dad was laid back and he did what he could but he had to be overwhelmed with the grieve of loosing a spouse. I often had daddy-daughter times but what my dad lacked my mom was there to give me whatever it was I needed. Which, I completely lost two parents. I really felt alone and emotionally distressed.
I often blamed myself of my mom passing of cancer and there I could not get out of that fog that was blinding me. I felt like my dad was not there either. Even though there were two parent their wasn't a person in my house to replace what I lost, love.
So, for years I frequently felt lost and alone. I sometimes felt that same energy when I tried to talk to some of the students one on one. I seen that same broken heart and lost soul in the students' eyes. I knew that I needed to be there each and every week for my students regardless of their attitudes and moods for the day.
I said all of this because I found my calling when I was in front of the class.
I found myself feel greatly appreciated in front of those students.
I found myself transitioning into the person I wanted when I felt alone in my house. I want to become a coach as well as teach the students how to be the best person that know how with self-love.
All in all, I found out that I am a helper and healer.
I am committed and passionate about my ultimate goal and dream, being a life coach.
I now use my voice to be heard and I let everyone know I am here to help. I want to be that person that I couldn't find when I was searching during my teens.
Thank you so much for visiting my page.
HJ The Motivational Seeker
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