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Single? Celibate? Above The Influence? Don’t Feel Pressured

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UIC chapter.

In college (or even high school) it seems like everyone’s in relationships, having sex, smoking, drinking, etc. Your best friend’s in what she says is a serious relationship and another friend enjoys smoking weed from time to time.  

Differently from some of your friends and peers, you abstain from things like sex, relationships, and smoking. Society says that it’s something wrong with this, but it’s not. If you’re choosing to abstain from anything, you have some kind of reason behind it. Even if it’s not by choice, you shouldn’t make yourself do it because of what someone else says or does.

Everyone is different. Whether you choose to be in a relationship or end up single, smoke or don’t smoke, it’s all up to you. You might feel left out when your friends are talking about doing things you’ve never done, but don’t feel obligated to relate to them. Don’t force yourself to do things you don’t want to do because of peer pressure or the desire to connect with your friends and loved ones.  If they really support you, they’ll understand. Just like you understand them.

Stay true to you, not anyone else.

UIC Contributor.