Priya Kumari
Most people think that self-control is in their hands. They feel that if they have a strong sense of self-control, no force in this world can influence them to do negative things, no matter with whom they hang out or spend their time. However, it may be the case that someone is deliberately trying to influence us or make us fall prey to bad habits. We are unconsciously affected because if our brain is constantly experiencing positive or negative things, it might turn into our behavior and become our habit. Therefore, it is always necessary to keep our surroundings in mind.
Do you know how your surroundings can affect you? Most of the time, we don’t even realize that the changes occurring within us are because of our surroundings. Let’s consider how our surroundings can affect us.
Our brains constantly receive external information, which gets triggered as a reflection in our behavior. As a result, the type of environment we hang out in affects our behavior. For instance, if our friend or whoever we accompany is conscious of fitness and health, then our brain will also eventually adopt those habits. We will unconsciously change our behavior in the same way. If we hang out with alcoholics and chain smokers, even if we don’t drink or smoke, our behavior will be influenced. That’s because our brain receives that information constantly, and as a result, it becomes our behavior. Similarly, if our friend is a shopaholic, we are undoubtedly more likely to develop that habit. If any of our companions have a habit of eating too much junk food, there is a good chance that we will eventually start eating a lot of junk food as well.
The kind of environment we have also affects our decisions. If we have misleading choices around us, then it becomes difficult to tread a different path. If we often surround ourselves with people of a different mindset, then they start judging us and questioning our choices. This kind of judgment weighs heavily on our choices.
Therefore, it’s important to surround ourselves with positive people. Staying in strong-willed surroundings is good for our willpower. According to a study, if something is bothering us and we are unable to reach a decision, having people with a strong-willed mentality around us can help us make the right choice.
If we surround ourselves with positive people, it is more likely to increase our positive tendencies. Positive surroundings also help us diminish the risk of death to some extent. It improves our self-confidence and boosts our self-esteem. Social ties motivate us to live a healthy and stress-free life, such as by helping us follow a set routine, engaging in mindful eating, etc. Whenever we find ourselves in a difficult situation, they offer us emotional support, which often improves our mental well-being.
We don’t necessarily need to have the same mindset as our friends about everything. When differences of opinion arise, we may need to respect their points of view. But it is critical to surround ourselves with positive people at all stages of our lives. Their actions and influence can prove to be lifesavers for us.
