With the quickly revolving world around us, it can be easy for someone to become fixated on the people and environment around them. This can be quite a damaging habit, leading to problematic issues within school and self-image issues. Whether it is about what clothes somebody wears, how they behave or who they are friends with, people pay too much attention to other peoples’ business.

For some students, entering school at five years old is like being introduced to a whole new universe. As adolescents mature, their awareness of others increases. The environment at school can be extremely uncomfortable and stressful, especially with so much comparison and competition between peers.

As they go about their school day, students feel that their peers are mindlessly judging them for what they wear or who they are friends with. Simply overhearing talk of drama can lead to students becoming invested in someone else’s personal life.

This is especially true due to the habit of students to post information to social media and share others’ posts. As a result of the easy spread of communication on social media, it is easy for drama to arise, which often leads to situations getting out of hand. In other words, social media allows anyone to easily view, and consequently judge, whatever students post.

Growing involvement on these platforms introduces the desire for students to constantly try to follow trends in order to fit in. When students participate in new trends, whether by buying new clothes or dying their hair, it acts as a catalyst for others to follow suit and do the same as their friends.

If a student does not keep up with the constantly changing social environment at school, they may begin to fear being looked down upon or seen differently than their peers. None of this would be an issue if people stopped paying excessive attention to what other people are doing.

This “judgment-zone” is a result of the environment that students have created at school. The seemingly judgment-filled air creates a fear of standing out amongst peers. Instead of students doing what makes them happy in their own lives, they are more likely to follow the trends and actions of other students to avoid the sheer thought of potential judgment.

People should not have to worry that they will be judged negatively if they do not dress or act the same way as their peers. This fear can add more stress into the already hectic life of a student. After all, everyone has their own difficulties to deal with, so there’s no need to let excessive stress bother you.

Creating a school environment without the active presence of social media would certainly help create a less stressful environment. Often, social media apps seem to do more harm than good, especially amongst teenagers.

Social media platforms are not the only issue that creates tension both inside and outside of school. Even outside of social media, there still exists a lot of comparison between students. It is natural for teenagers to have insecurities. School can be extremely competitive, and students may find themselves trying to balance as many AP classes, clubs and extracurriculars as their peers.

Even beyond the academic side of school, it is not uncommon for drama to be created within different social cliques. Eavesdropping on conversations that do not involve you, then sharing the information you just overheard with your friends can be very damaging to other students’ mental health. Gossiping about what you hear can cause unnecessary, and potentially untrue, rumors that could easily have been avoided by simply paying no mind to what others are talking about. By minding your own business and not paying attention to what the people around you are doing, many conflicts can be prevented.

Overtime, paying excessive attention to what others are doing can be exhausting and cause a lot of damage to one’s mental health. It may even cause you to overlook the more important things in life. What people do with their life is their concern, not everyone else’s, and it’s easier to just mind your own.

The best thing that a person can realize is that everyone has their own path in life. What works for someone else might not work for you. Everyone is unique in their own way, and there is nothing wrong with not “fitting in” with the set standard. Being happy with your own life is all that truly matters.