This may not be the case for everyone, but even now in my second year of college I am seeing peer pressure take place. Yes, peer pressure may be inevitable, but when did people stop standing up for themselves?
I think that my generation and the younger ones are losing who they are and they aren’t standing up for what they believe in. No matter what the situation may be, you need to assert yourself and say no when you don’t want to something or you don’t believe in something your friends are doing. Trust me I say I know it’s hard, and that I’ve been that person that was “boring” or “buzz kill”. But I was also that person who was responsible and I didn’t care what my friends thought of me because I was standing up for myself and what I believed in.
Standing up for what you believe in is also something that is going to be beneficial to your health (and mental health). When you stand up for what you believe in you setting up and following a healthy boundary as well as boosting your self-esteem (thank you stress management class). By doing this you are ensuring that you are leading a lifestyle that is healthy not only physically but mentally. But when you allow that peer pressure to take over and you become passive and give in it creates an unhealthy boundary, lowers your self-esteem, and can even add stress to your life. And as college students, we are already stressed enough, so why add on to your load.
The important thing to do and remember is to no matter what always stand up for what you believe in.