Yesterday’s article gave you options on how to eat healthy without losing your friendship for it. In no way becoming healthy should end your long lasting friendships.
Your friends may not want to understand your changes and possibly wont respect your new lifestyle. They don’t have to agree with you or follow your path to a better life. The last thing you wanna receive are negative comments. This will force you to use your willpower not only to not choose healthy, but also to fight the peer pressure.
Courage is grace under pressure – Ernest Hemingway
Peer pressure can be a gift for changing your life. Before attempting to tackle potential peer pressure, take small steps. Drink an extra glass of water a day for 3 weeks. When you manage to adapt the habit eat a healthy snack once a day.
Adapted enough habits for you to confidently speak about your permanent lifestyle change? Take the next step: bring one of the habits silently into your reunions with your friends. Always pre-drink at a friends house with beer? Take a glass of water before you start drinking. Don’t like this option, go for a water somewhere during the night out. Slowly integrate these and other habits while going out.
Soon enough your friends will see the changes you are making. Expect them to react to it sooner or later and be prepared for it! There is no need to feel offended about their reaction. See it as an opportunity for you to motivate them to be healthy. Changes into your group of friends will not be a fast process. It will take weeks for one of your friends to implement one of your habits. Be aware: they probably try it out at home first! This is a good thing, they can try it out at their safe home, before joining you in the healthy lifestyle in your group.
You and your friends have a lot of ways to adjust to each other. If all of the above seems not to work consider the last two options. Don’t dump your friends, just go out less often. Make the time you spend with them count and maybe be a bit more lenient with your health on those moments. Isn’t it working for you? Wanna become healthy above anything else? Considering passing on the nights out and reach out to meet new people. Maybe one day they will understand you and return to your life.
Let us know: do your friends have trouble with your new lifestyle?