That is also the issue shared by M.A. in Psychology Tiêu Thảo Ngân at the talkshow “Beyond The Shadow: A Unique Heartbeat” organised by the Youth Union – Student Association of the Faculty of Oriental Languages and Cultures.

The programme aims to help students decode and remove the invisible pressures from the label of “other people’s children”, thereby finding their true value and confidently defining their personal identity amid a society full of standards.

Peer pressure from a psychology expert’s perspective

With the suggestive opening question: “Have you ever woken up with a sigh, scrolled through your phone and felt so small before the brilliant successes of your peers?”, the programme brought students into the profound space of the worries of growing up. Here, peer pressure and the fear of being left behind were viewed as an invisible “shade” that is obscuring the true value of each individual.

From a psychological perspective, M.A. Tiêu Thảo Ngân dissected more deeply the silent psychological wounds that young people often keep hidden, with 03 main manifestations: the feeling of being “lost” even while still studying and working every day; doubt in one’s own capacity (Imposter Syndrome); and long nights of anxiety and insomnia leading to physical health symptoms.

In particular, the speaker pointed out that this pressure besieges even more strongly in the digital age – where social media becomes a “microscope” magnifying others’ success. Each time you scroll through Facebook or other platforms, countless posts showing off achievements unintentionally sow fear and smouldering envy, making the psychological pressure ever heavier.

Rediscovering the “unique heartbeat” and building one’s own identity

To relieve peer pressure, M.A. Tiêu Thảo Ngân encourages students to focus on understanding themselves instead of being swept into the standards of the majority. Each student needs to learn to understand themselves, accept differences and persistently build their own identity. Because the value of each person lies not in becoming someone else, but in the ability to recognise and promote their own strengths.

For the attending students, M.A. Tiêu Thảo Ngân’s advice was like an “awakening” bell, and at the same time a soothing embrace that eased their wounds and added positive energy to redefine the word “identity”. The frank, sincere interaction between the speaker and the students made the atmosphere of the Hall continuously explode and left many emotional moments.

Throughout the talkshow, students not only took part in mere discussion but were also guided in how to listen to their inner emotional frequencies. Not following theoretical lectures by rote, the event delved into helping young people understand themselves, learn to accept their hidden corners and courageously overcome prejudice to confidently step out of the “shadow” of pressure.

The programme is a meaningful stepping stone that helps each young person recognise their personal value so as to always confidently be a unique “unique heartbeat”. The psychological luggage and valuable messages from the sharing session added strong motivation, helping HUFLITers step firmly on the journey ahead, ready to explore new horizons without being bound by any fear.