I am a real PP – comfy and a lot less stressful when in my Ps. Any guesses on what I am talking about? I am talking about my incredible pajamas, & yes, I am a ‘Pajama Person’ ☺. Lot of things have changed in the past year, but one thing that entirely turned out in my favor was getting to be in my pajamas all day long! I hope I am not exaggerating, but I feel lighter, less stressed, and even a lot more productive when in this attire. 

It feels good to be in an environment, clothing, place, of your choice, isn’t it? Well, while I totally respect the norms of a particular place and would never want to go to my workplace in pajamas, this post is more about accepting yourself and respecting your choices. Let me share some instances:

• One must dress up in office wear for office. However, there are numerous kinds of such outfits. Which one will you choose? The one you like wearing, suits you, and you are comfortable and easy in, OR the one most of your colleagues are wearing even though you are not happy wearing them?
• “All my friends are married now, some even have kids, and here I am, 30 yet single!” Is this situation bothering you only because people around you are wedded? Isn’t it ok to marry at the age of 35, or 40, or 45, but to someone your heart truly accepts? 
• “I don’t understand Maths, but all my cousins are into Software Engineering. To hell with my choice, I can’t break the family tradition and let them down. I will also opt for non-medical.” Really?

Though these and many other such situations may seem trivial, they contribute to 90% of our lives’ pain points if we come to think of it. We can collectively call them as succumbing to ‘peer pressures.’

We recently observed Anti-Smoking Day on 26^th June 2021, which reminded me of one of my nightmare peer pressures. I was once asked to “get a life!” by one of my friends. Apparently, I didn’t have a life as I never boozed or smoked!! Strange, right? But at the time, I was made to feel like a strange creature! All this caused me to think for days if I really did not have a life! I am not very proud of wasting days thinking about this, yet happy that I did not start drinking just because of what some people thought of me. Drinking and smoking might be “cool” for some but can be “uncool” for others. We all can have our own ‘cool’ behaviors. 😀

So the moral of the story is, accept yourself, love yourself, acknowledge your pain points, respect your choices, and restore your happiness. Do not let what people or society think of you hamper your way to life!

Let’s break the social stigmas together and R3SET our life!

Avani Raj Arora