Peer pressure is the process in which individuals within the same group influence others in the group to engage in a behaviour or activity that they may not otherwise engage in. A peer can be any individual who belongs to the same social groups or circles as you and has some type of influence over you.

Peer pressure can be avoided by thinking about your actions and if you would participate in the behavior if your social circle was not influencing or pressuring you to do so. Also, if the idea of engaging in that activity makes you uncomfortable, it’s best to listen to your inner voice and not engage in such activities.

Who Experiences Peer Pressure?

Anyone regardless of age can have peers as peers usually come from a common social circle. Our peers tend to be those individuals with whom we identify the most with. As children and adolescents, our peers are our classmates and friends. As teens and young adults, our classmates, coworkers and even family members can be our peers.

As adults, our coworkers, spouses, friends of spouses can all be peers. Our peers can change as we get older and our definition of what constitutes a social circle can also change. Likewise, peer pressure can also be experienced at any age and in any situation. As children grow up, we often think about peer pressure on a continuum from childhood to young-adulthood.

Children and adolescents of any age can experience peer pressure in the form of engaging in risky behavior, name calling or bullying other children or breaking rules. The pressure these children face to conform to their social circle is often the only way they feel they can belong to that group. As we get older, these feelings of needing to conform can persist.

Adults of any age are not immune to experiencing peer pressure. Peer pressure in this age group can also include risky behavior, however the consequences are more grave than those of childhood risky behaviors. Adults can experience peer pressure at work as many adults spend a great deal of time at work and interacting with coworkers. This type of pressure can look like working the same long hours as others, persuading others to do something you wouldn’t want to do yourself and anything in between.

Types of Peer Pressure:

There are many types of peer pressure which can be experienced at any age. Since peer pressure involves communicating some type of message, the way in which that message is communicated can be varied. You may experience very direct and clear peer pressure, at times it may be only a strong feeling, sometimes it might sound fun and other times it can sound scary and even illegal.

There are many types of peer pressure, including:

1. Spoken Peer Pressure

This type of peer pressure involves one individual or a group asking another individual to participate in some type of behavior. In a group setting, the pressure felt is much stronger as there is power in numbers.

2. Unspoken Peer Pressure

This type of peer pressure involves an individual being exposed to certain behaviors, trends or choices of others and feeling a pressure to conform.

3. Direct Peer Pressure

This type of peer pressure is challenging as it is very specific to behavior-based conformity and can be spoken or unspoken. Direct peer pressure can often feel heightened because of our own discomfort of the environment we’re in at that time of experiencing direct peer pressure.

4. Indirect Peer Pressure

This type of peer pressure is less invasive on our internal voice to behave a certain way, however, it can validate a behaviour or activity we want to try but haven’t tried yet. It can be unspoken but also influence how we feel about ourselves.

5. Positive Peer Pressure

This type of peer pressure can be direct, indirect, spoken and/or unspoken. This is pressure felt in one-on-one situations or groups that yields positive results and healthier lifestyle choices.

6. Negative Peer Pressure

This type of peer pressure can also be direct, indirect, spoken and/or unspoken. This pressure can challenge individuals to do things they may not usually do and engage in such behaviours because others are doing so and it’s a way to belong.

How to Deal With Peer Pressure

There are many ways to deal with the various types of peer pressure you can experience. Some ways to handle it include first being aware of how you feel about the situation and environment you’re in when the peer pressure is happening. If you can pay attention to your emotions, you can often find yourself leaving a situation before you may be peer pressured into doing something you may not actually want to do.

Talking about these feelings and setting boundaries is another way to ensure you can stay comfortable in an environment. If your boundaries are not respected and the pressure continues, it can be a sign that your environment isn’t a place where you may be respected. This may help you think about the company you keep and help you start making choices where you’re in a company that respects you, your value system and boundaries.

India, the world’s 2nd most densely populated country, has been severely affected by COVID-19. The country had recently faced the second wave of COVID-19, which was harsher than its predecessor. According to some researchers, there are chances that the country will have to deal with the 3rd wave and it can cruelly affect the country then the last 2 variants. PM of INDIA also requested every citizen to follow the precautions as the COVID is not completely diminished yet cause People are the ones who will bring the 3rd wave, it won’t come on its own.

Why the COVID cases Number were High In India?

Kids these days are head over heels into video games, do you ever think maybe we live in a video game itself. The question seems absurd. Yet there are plenty who are convinced that this is not only possible but perhaps likely.

Rizwan Virk, a computer scientist and video game designer, published a 2019 book, The Simulation Hypothesis, that traces the path from today’s technology to what he calls the “Simulation Point,” the moment at which we could realistically build a Matrix-like simulation.

I know nothing about computer science, but this idea that we’re all characters in an advanced civilization’s video game is, well, kind of awesome.

Pretend you know absolutely nothing about the “simulation hypothesis.” What is the simulation hypothesis?

The simulation hypothesis is the modern equivalent of an idea that the physical world we live in, including the Earth and the rest of the physical universe, is actually part of a computer simulation.

You can think of it like a high resolution or high-fidelity video game in which we are all characters, and the best way to understand it is the movie The Matrix, which many people have seen, it’s become a cultural phenomenon now beyond the film industry.

In that movie, Keanu Reeves plays the character Neo, who meets a guy names Morpheus, who is aptly named after the Greek god of dreams, and Morpheus gives him a choice of taking a red pill or a blue pill. If he takes the red pill, he wakes up and realizes that his entire life, including his job, the building he lived in, and everything else, was part of this elaborate video game, and he wakes up in a world outside of the game, which he did.

Are we living in a simulated universe right now?

There are lots of mysteries in physics that are better explained by the simulation hypothesis than by what would be a material hypothesis.

The truth is that there’s much we simply don’t understand about our reality, and I think it’s more likely than not that we are in some kind of a simulated universe. Now, it’s a much more sophisticated video game than the games we produce, just like today World of Warcraft and Fortnite are way more sophisticated than Pac-Man or Space Invaders. They took a couple of decades of figuring out how to model physical objects using 3D models and then how to render them with limited computing power, which eventually led to this spate of shared online video games.

I think there’s a very good chance we are, in fact, living in a simulation, though we can’t say that with 100 percent confidence. But there is plenty of evidence that points in that direction.

WHEN WE ARE OPEN TO LEARNING MORE….THEN WE ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR IT…

             AND WE THRUST OUR INTUITION & FOLLOW OUR HEARTS…..WELL,THEN ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

              BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

           In order to understand the attitude,read this amazing motivational story.this is very interesting,so make sure to read till the end.

            Once a foreigner came to india and he was enjoying sightseening onthe outskirts of kerala, a beautiful city of south india.he then entered a temple which was in under construction.

             He stops nearby a man who was a sculptor busy in making an idol with his brush and few tools. Therevwas another similar idol lying nearby the sculptor.in confusion,the foreigner asked the sculptor.

              “ i can’t see any mistake in the first idol,where is it,can you please let me know”

                While brushing the second idol,the sculptor replied “please see,the nose of the first idol is damaged and it cannot be repaired”

                 The foreigner said,”okay….. Where will it be installed?”

                 Sculptor answered”it will be installed at the 200 feet above the temple building”

                 The foreigner smiled sarcastically and said to sculptor”if this idol will be installed so high then obviously no one would be able to see the damaged nose of the idol.why are you wasting time in creating this second idol?”

                The sculptor smiled and said “yes…..you are right.no one will be able to see thst damaged nose but i know it and  every time when i will see that idol,the guilt of building a damaged idol will hunt me.”

                   Guys,excellent means perfection and you have to be  perfect in anything you do in life,no matter what .excellence drives from inside and you have to realize it.

                    Excellence is not something that you want to show off but it should be from your inner self.no matter what you do in your life,you should be satisfied from inside.

                    One thing you have to understands is if you don’t do it with complete excellence,don’t do it all because if it is not excellent then it will not be profitable or fun.

                    We are what we repeatedly do and excellence, therefore,is not an act,it’s a habit.

                      This story clearly shows that life presents changes to all of us.success is no accident but it is hard work, preseverance ,learning,and sacrifice.a dream doesn’t become reality through magic.

                        It takes sweat,determination,and hard work.humans are creatures of habit.if you quit when things get tough,it gets much easier to quit the next time. on the other hand

                         On the other hand,if you force yourself to push through it,the grit begins to grow in you.so,my dear friends believe in the end.

                           Always remember strength doesn’t come from winning ,your hard work and struggles in life develop your real strengths.

                             When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender,that is call strength,what is one piece of advice we can give to the young guns of this new era? It is indeed never give up.

Nowadays,many students are too afraid to dream of how great their life can be because of other people .they offer them numerous example of what can go wrong.

                              Hey,give plenty of examples of how hard life is,the struggles in life….. But there is no need to believe in that.

             “BELIVE YOUR SELF,NEVER EVER GIVE UP”.

From encouraging schoolwork and sports to modelling values as a child grows parents exert influence over their children’s lives. They are, however, not the only-on-the -ground influencers especially after children enter school and begin interacting with the world at large.

Most parents work to give children the best part possible, but it’s also important for parents to recognise that kids come into the world with their own temperament, personalities and goals.

In a rapidly changing world, parenting can be subject to changing styles and parenting in some privileged circles has become a competitive sport. But the needs of child development as delineated by science remain relatively stable: safety, structure, support and love.

PARENTING TEENAGERS:

Adolescences is a challenging time for young people, not only because of the physical changes or puberty but ij the emotional aspect as well and in some cases, the emergence of serious mental health conditions. For parents, it can sometimes seem like their affectionate, adoring child has become a different, distant person and their teen friends have become important to them than their family. But some of these changes are part of the essential process of moving toward independence and parents who are able to offer more empathy than judgement can continue to be a source of kids guidance for their kids.

PRINCIPLES OF GOOD PARENTING

1.WHAT YOU DO MATTERS:

Whether it’s anger or being affectionate towards someone or reacting to a situation always remember you child is watching you and learning from you the most. Therefore, it’s very important you learn to react the right way and use the right words around your kids because kids learn things before anybody else whether it’s eating to a certain situation or a way of dealing with someone.

2.YOU CANNOT BE TOO LOVING:

We often tend to think that more love can never spoil a child while the reality is they tend to take it for granted at times and it’s only human. Therefore, always maintain a balance in the love you show towards your kids.

3.BE INVOLVED IN YOUR KIDS LIFE:

To be an involved parent, one should have their priorities set because it involves putting in a lot of time and effort and hard work. It often means sacrificing a lot of things or what you want to di at certain times .

4.ESTABLISH AND SET RULES:

When a Childs behaviour is not watched from the beginning, he or she fails to manage himself or herself when he or she is older and you aren’t around. Anytime of the day as a parent you should be able to answer these three questions: Where is my child? Who is my child with? What is my child doing?

5.FOSTER YOUR CHILDS INDEPENDENCE:

Setting limits helps your child develop self control towards a lot of things in life. Encouraging independence helps them to give a direction to their life. Therefore for the right kind of parent g here has to be a balance of setting limits and encouraging independence.

6.TREAT YOUR CHILD WITH RESPECT:

The best way to get a respectful treatment for your child is to treat them with respect too. You should give your child the same courtesies that you would give anybody else. Speak to him politely. Respect his opinion. Pay attention when he’s speaking to you. Treat him kindly. Children treat others the way their parents treat them therefore you should know your relationship with your child is the foundation of all the relationships he will grow in his life.

INTRODUCTION:

Knowing about our own body is our right and parents have the responsibility to provide them the knowledge and awareness a young mind needs to know. Access to comprehensive sex education is a human right. The society can longer passively leave it to streets or the internet to brainwash the kids mind with incomplete knowledge or set sexual standard values.

MEANING:

Sex Education is a comprehensive set of knowledge and process of learning the emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality. Sex education should include information about puberty, menstruation, condoms, contraceptives, sexual violence prevention, sexual orientation, gender identity and body image. Sex education will provide the importance of self well being and health to one and others.People have so many different conceptions about sex education.

Many people think teaching children sex education is equivalent to permitting them to engage in sexual intercourse which is not true. Engaging in sexual intercourse is a personal choice nevertheless one should always be clear about the consequences and be aware on how to prevent diseases and unintended pregnancy. Sex education should treat sexual development as a normal human development.Sex education will help kids to adopt healthy decisions. But this is not enough, Children are perplexed and demand honest answers. Comprehensive sex education should provide honest, age appropriate informations.

IMPORTANCE OF SEX EDUCATION:

• It is important in consideration of health and well being and dignity of not only themselves but also others. Health related problems and teenage unintentional pregnancy leads to absenteeism and dropping out of studies.
• Developing respectful social relationships and sexual relationships will enhance quality of life. Some people choose to be in a relationship while some don’t. Some people feel an attraction towards somebody who could also be of the same gender as theirs and that’s okay.
• Sexual health can affects the academic development of a student. Reportedly a student who has not engaged in sexual activities tends to be better at studies.
• Good sex education helps students differentiate between intentions and also knows about sexual violence.

ROLE OF PARENTS IN SEX EDUCATION:

Sex is already taught all over internet in a very poor manner. Children are curious about gathering information about sex much before parents can even imagine. Therefore, parents should take the initiative of education their children about sex from a younger age and educate them further with the growth in their minds and age. It also creates a secure relationship between the child and the parents. Parents need to ensure right information is given to their kids. Parents remaining silent about sex can lead to children trying to figure it out on their own from internet or from their peers.

Sex education helps the kids understand their bodies and feel optimistic about the body. Many parents prepare their daughter for menstrual periods and son for his nocturnal emission. Therefore, parents should be the first source of information to the kids. Boys should also be taught about periods as later on in life it helps to deal with their wife’s mood swings or pain.

RULES TO BE FOLLOWED:

Sex education works best when there is mutual trust and comfort and safety among themselves. Sex education should be taught according to the Childs age and development stage.

Here are some ground rules which are to be followed:

• Asking questions indicates the want to gather knowledge
• Respect for each other
• Correct use of body terms and activities
• It is possible for the teacher to not know all the answers
• Gender equality should be taught
• Students should be given right and primitive information
• Students should be open to discuss any issue in the class related to sexuality
• Listen to what the teacher has to say because it might be of use in the future
• Always speak for yourself

CURRENT PERSPECTIVE:

Looking at the current situation of India, sex education has a far more distance to cover in terms of Indian society understanding and accepting its importance in every Childs life. Sex education is still not to be seen in many schools. Currently many organisations have taken the responsibility to personally approach the school for teaching girls about menstrual or personal hygiene. Boys are still left to collect information the streets and internet.

Many parents believe that with age their child will learn about it anyway therefore they don’t bother to talk about it at all. Some parents are shy to even pronounce the word in front of their kids. Parents refer to ignorance as assurance but now the times have changed, somehow children acquire inaccurate knowledge about sexuality. It is the responsibility of parents and teachers to make sure the kids are socially and sexually aware.

CONCLUSION:

Sex education should be made compulsory in school curriculum. Comprehensive sex education is important for young people to prepare themselves for any bodily changes and maintain their healthy and hygienic being. Sex education doesn’t promote having sex, which should be realised by parents. Knowing about your sexuality gives altogether a better and productive mindset and relationship in the future.

Depression exists on a range of severity ranging from relatively mind to transient states of low mood to severe, long term symptoms that have a major impact on a persons quality of life. When a persons symptoms have reached the chronic end of the spectrum and require professional treatment, its typically referred to as clinical depression.

CAUSES OF DEPRESSION:

The causes of depression are not completely understood, but its believed that there are several key factors, including genetics and environment, that make a person more likely to become depressed.

Certain factors which make it more likely are :

• A family history of depression
• Experiencing a major traumatic experience
• Financial troubles

CO-OCCURING CONDITIONS:

There are some conditions which quite often occur to people suffering from depression. The commonly occurring conditions in people are:

• Anxiety Disorders
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD)
• Phobias
• Eating Disorders
• Alcohol and drug use
• Sleep disorders
• Headaches
• Chronic Pain

SYMPTOMS:

People Experience depression in different ways. Some people only have a few symptoms while others have many. Some symptoms may get better overnight while others may get worse. For each type of Depression there are different symptoms or features that are common in those who experience it.

MAJOR DEPRESSION:

Also known as major depressive disorder or unipolar depression this form is most people think of when they hear “depression”. Major depression is typically characterised by the following symptoms:

• Sadness, feelings of emptiness
• Loss of enjoyment of hobbies, work, other activities.
• Appetite changes, weight loss or gain
• Trouble sleeping
• Tiredness, fatigue, lack of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
• Poor decision making skills
• Planning or attempting suicide

PSYCHOTIC DEPRESSION:

People who have psychotic depression are considered in the spectrum of unipolar depression. People who have this kind of depression usually experience hallucinations or delusions may also have a form of depression. Psychotic depression can manifest with hallucinations that are focused on death and gravely ill.

BIPOLAR DISORDER:

People of bipolar depression tend to alternate between periods of depression and periods of greatly elevated mood called mania.In the depressive phase, symptoms can be very similar to major depression. During the manic phase, symptoms at the opposite end of the spectrum are more likely such as :

• Increased energy
• Sleeplessness
• Irritability
• Rapid Speech
• Hyper-sexual Behaviour
• Racing thoughts
• Impulsivity
• Poor judgment

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION:

Postpartum depression is depression that occurs after a person gives birth and can persist well into the first year postpartum. While it is common and treatable it also needs to be diagnosed earlier.

SITUATIONAL DEPRESSION:

Many people will experience a period of depression in their lifetime in response to a specific event. Unlike more persistent forms of depression, situational depression can usually be treated and improves in response to positive changes in that persons situation

DEPRESSION AMONG KIDS AND TEENS:

t was believed that kids also can be having depression but turns out that it was wrong. Depression can take place in teens or kids but is not as similar as in adults. Symptoms of depression among school kids could be due to school activities, studies or friendships. As teens and adults children who are experiencing depression may also have trouble sleeping, lose in their appetite or have unexplained headaches and stomach-aches

COPING MECHANISMS:

Medications and therapy can be valuable components of depression treatment but each individual person with depression will need to find their own ways of coping with the condition.If you have depression then there are a set of ways which you can cope up with your mental health like the use of physical activity which states that a little bit of physical activity everyday enhances your mood and makes you feel better in numerable ways. Having hobbies and also being creative in your own favourite way will also help you get through this as it helps you to keep yourself engaged instead of your mind wandering about onto less important subjects.

Staying connected to yourself is also very important. Since in depression it becomes very difficult to take care of your physical and mental health’s ways like grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking or anything else which you find therapeutic. Therefore, its very important for each and every individual to find their own point of comfort where its easier for them to deal with depression. It shouldn’t be neglected.