Let's Talk: Pressures on Young People
Today I thought I'd embark on discussing the pressures put on young people, particularly those who are young adults/teenagers. Now I'll be the first to say that this entry is not meant to paint 'millennials' as victims of a society left by our elders, but is merely meant to offer some honest thoughts on how us 20-something-year-olds are expected to have it all figured out...and it sucks.
One thing I have noticed for sure over the last couple years is that I am constantly putting myself under pressure to know what my next move is going to be once I graduate. Whether this is something other people my age are doing, I don't know, but I do know that a lot of people around me don't even know where to start looking for the next stage in our lives. Not many people have it all figured out yet so why does it feel like there's an ever-present, underlying pressure to get my shit together ASAP.
For me personally, I’ve tackled this pressure by actually enjoying researching and testing what industry I want to build my career in. Now is the time to try new things, develop interesting skills and most importantly, and also scarily, make mistakes. The sky is the limit with this one.
Another thing that young people are under pressure to figure out is how to fit into "the group". Now I have no clue if I'm alone in saying this but there has always been 'that group', the 'cool kids' the 'popular people' in every environment I've experienced; whether that be school, cadets, uni etc.
When we think of being part of "the group", we need to consider there are both cognitive and situational influences on young people's perceptions of their peers and mental attitudes. A study by Oostveen, Knibbe, and Vries (1996) explored the realms of young adults' drinking culture. This article really resonated with me, as a lot of the research was reminiscent of the culture of drinking at university. Basically, getting blackout drunk with your mates on a Tuesday night is a right of passage for today's British young adults, which is positively reinforced by the funny drunken stories, emotional bonding over the fifth bottle of wine and amusing pictures from the night before. The confidence people are given in exchange for sobriety is addictive and makes the pressure of being liked and making friends at uni bearable...but at what cost?
Coming from a quiet town in the Cotswolds and having the same circle of friends for my entire childhood meant that the uni lifestyle hurled me out of my comfort zone. Having to adapt my idea of a fun night being sat in your PJs with some pals whilst you binge watch crappy TV and drink cheap wine to getting smashed in a room with a bunch of people you barely know and can hardly have a conversation with over obnoxiously loud music was...an adjustment. I'm not saying I hate uni, I'm saying that to feel accepted by 'the group', suddenly my own enjoyment was the second priority, the first being will these people like me better if I'm drunk?
Saying all this is all well and good and feels somewhat liberating, to be honest with you, however,
I think it's important to say that alcohol is one heck of a handy way to break the ice when going to uni but isn't always for everyone. In my experience, for sports societies, in particular, people who don't drink or don't want to spend every other day hungover are often left-out or feel as though they can't come to social events if they don't want to do drugs or get bevved.
...I don't really know how to conclude here as this turned into a bit of a ramble but hopefully, I made a bit of sense and someone out there can relate to something I said aha..if not then..well I don't know.
One thing I have noticed for sure over the last couple years is that I am constantly putting myself under pressure to know what my next move is going to be once I graduate. Whether this is something other people my age are doing, I don't know, but I do know that a lot of people around me don't even know where to start looking for the next stage in our lives. Not many people have it all figured out yet so why does it feel like there's an ever-present, underlying pressure to get my shit together ASAP.
For me personally, I’ve tackled this pressure by actually enjoying researching and testing what industry I want to build my career in. Now is the time to try new things, develop interesting skills and most importantly, and also scarily, make mistakes. The sky is the limit with this one.
Another thing that young people are under pressure to figure out is how to fit into "the group". Now I have no clue if I'm alone in saying this but there has always been 'that group', the 'cool kids' the 'popular people' in every environment I've experienced; whether that be school, cadets, uni etc.
When we think of being part of "the group", we need to consider there are both cognitive and situational influences on young people's perceptions of their peers and mental attitudes. A study by Oostveen, Knibbe, and Vries (1996) explored the realms of young adults' drinking culture. This article really resonated with me, as a lot of the research was reminiscent of the culture of drinking at university. Basically, getting blackout drunk with your mates on a Tuesday night is a right of passage for today's British young adults, which is positively reinforced by the funny drunken stories, emotional bonding over the fifth bottle of wine and amusing pictures from the night before. The confidence people are given in exchange for sobriety is addictive and makes the pressure of being liked and making friends at uni bearable...but at what cost?
Coming from a quiet town in the Cotswolds and having the same circle of friends for my entire childhood meant that the uni lifestyle hurled me out of my comfort zone. Having to adapt my idea of a fun night being sat in your PJs with some pals whilst you binge watch crappy TV and drink cheap wine to getting smashed in a room with a bunch of people you barely know and can hardly have a conversation with over obnoxiously loud music was...an adjustment. I'm not saying I hate uni, I'm saying that to feel accepted by 'the group', suddenly my own enjoyment was the second priority, the first being will these people like me better if I'm drunk?
Saying all this is all well and good and feels somewhat liberating, to be honest with you, however,
I think it's important to say that alcohol is one heck of a handy way to break the ice when going to uni but isn't always for everyone. In my experience, for sports societies, in particular, people who don't drink or don't want to spend every other day hungover are often left-out or feel as though they can't come to social events if they don't want to do drugs or get bevved.
...I don't really know how to conclude here as this turned into a bit of a ramble but hopefully, I made a bit of sense and someone out there can relate to something I said aha..if not then..well I don't know.
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