How Societal Pressure Affects Our Mental Health and Happiness
What is Societal pressure?
Society expects us to do better or be better in every way. It’s more like unwanted performance anxiety thrown at us by society to become someone they expect us to be.
It all starts with a comparison of one individual with another. For example, Rahul scored 90/100, and Ram got 70/100. Close ones surrounding Ram put pressure on him to do better in his next exam. They don’t care what Ram is going through or wants. All they care about is results. That’s unwanted societal pressure put on an individual.
The pressure to get good marks, get married, have kids, earn money, become healthy, or anything competitive to do better. It could be for good or bad.
Some could use this as a competitive way to perform better. But from an outsider’s perspective, it’s like steam in a cooker looking for a way out.
Let’s look at some of the impacts of societal pressure in our day-to-day lives:
Low on confidence and always in a rush to perform
It’s natural to have performance anxiety, but when it’s thrown at you by society, it becomes a force. We all want to be great in our lives and be better in everything, but the real question is, at what cost?
Society needs to understand that every human is built differently and has a different skill set. Due to the pressure thrown by society on individuals, most people go through anxiety and have less confidence.
As a society, we must understand that all individuals are different. We need to give space and time to people we love and allow them to grow in the specialization they like. By doing this, we will enable them to gauge their strengths and weaknesses.
Impact on general well-being (Mental/ Physical)
Due to societal pressure, the individual’s mental and physical state takes a hit as there is a constant battle among their peers to be competitive and prove a point.
In creative fields, for example, writing, if you force someone at gunpoint to write, they will produce absurd results because they are being pressured. Creativity and good results are better when freedom and no external force exist.
The pressure everyone faces these days is crazy. For example, creators on Instagram have constant pressure to put new content every day, or else they lose out on being trending.
Cutting social interaction and social ties
When individuals fail to perform and can’t live up to society’s standards, they build walls around them and are unreachable. They tend to be in a dark place where they hold grudges and blame others for their failures. The impact of societal pressure leads people to go into depression.
They believe everything they think, and sometimes that’s not even real. They stop communicating and lock themselves in their room. They start declining requests from friends and family to catch up and block all the demands that make them uncomfortable.
Making a wrong or regrettable decision
Under pressure, people tend to make hasty decisions, whether choosing their life partner or choosing the right career. For this article, I messaged ten friends of mine and asked them if they were happy about their job. Most replied they don’t like what they are doing but stick to it because it pays their bills.
Due to societal pressure, people marry the wrong partner, have early kids, and regret later in life by getting divorced and ending up unhappy.
Very few individuals challenge social norms, do something of their own, and excel in it.
Feelings of insecurity and low self-worth
Comparison leads to insecurity and low self-worth. That feeling when your close one compares your growth with someone else and makes you feel inferior and unworthy is painful.
For example, I was an average student in my family and was always compared to people who did better in exams; that sheer pressure always got on my nerves.
You feel like some baggage is loaded on your back to perform. That’s unacceptable as every individual has certain limitations, and all can’t act or talk in the same manner; each has their way.
Early marriage / Late marriage
Early marriage has positive and negative impacts. Because of societal pressure, many young girls force themselves to marry early and leave behind their friends, education, and career.
Early marriage ruins their lives as many cuts' social ties or, for the worst, commit suicide.
Specific communities worldwide still decide who their child will marry or what job they should do. Young children aren’t exposed to opportunities and tend to believe getting married and keeping their family happy is their only objective.
If children are available for good counseling, they will understand the value of choices in life and career.
Similarly, late marriage has ruined a lot of lives. Some people marry late because they want to focus on their careers, and some force themselves to marry late because they aren’t good-looking and lack good prospects.
Judgment of society has forced many individuals to live in a shell and not open up or discuss their issues out in the open with friends or family.
Societal pressure has brought misery in the lives of these individuals, and, for a few minorities, it has brought stability as they are unaware of their true potential.
Conclusion
Societal pressure is a powerful force that has a way of controlling our lives. It influences us in many ways, sometimes through positive and negative means.
Societal pressure is evil and causes havoc in people’s lives. If you are not aware of this force, then you will be affected by it. Society can make you feel inferior or superior over others and make you act in a specific way. Our culture is full of social norms and values enforced by the media and other people around us.
It may seem like an invisible force, but it impacts all of us.
This blog will give you some insight into how societal pressure affects us every day of our lives.
