One of the biggest challenges of parenting a teen is dealing with the constant mood swings. One minute they are happy and joking away, the next they are ready to bite your head off. While these mood swings are mostly caused by fluctuating hormone levels, it’s still difficult to handle.
If you’re struggling to deal with your teen’s mood swings, here are some great tips you can follow.
Remember What It Was Like for You
It’s really easy to forget what being a teen was like. Mood swings can be just as tough to deal with for your teen as they are for you. Remembering what it was like to go through adolescence can help you to have a little more empathy with what they are going through.
Simply remembering how hard it is can help you to better deal with your teen’s mood swings when they occur.
Teach Them How to Control Their Emotions
If you want to help, why not teach them how to control their emotions. Now obviously, if you have your own problem controlling your emotions you may find it hard to get your teen to listen to you. However, there are things you can teach them that they will thank you for later on in life.
Teens generally don’t know how to identify and avoid triggers for their moods. So, teach them how to recognize a bad mood and the coping skills they can use to stop it in its tracks. Teach them breathing exercises and the power going for a walk has on the mind.
Ensure They Are Getting Enough Sleep
Are they getting plenty of sleep? If not, it isn’t going to help their mood. Think about when you are tired and haven’t been sleeping properly. Are you calm, happy and rational? Too little sleep can have a negative impact on mental health and lead to a lot more mood swings.
So, try to help them get into a better sleeping pattern. This includes getting them to go to bed at the same time every night and avoiding technology before bed.
Give Them Plenty of Breathing Room
Above all else, when teenagers are in a bad mood, mostly they like to be left alone. It is important to give them plenty of breathing space to work through their emotions. However, they also need to know that they can come to you if they do want to talk.
So, let them spend time on their own for a while after an argument or an outburst. Attempt to talk to them a little later and if they aren’t interested, don’t push it. Once they have had time to cool off, you’ll find the bad mood has disappeared.
It can be a minefield trying to avoid and eliminate your teen’s mood swings. However, the above are some of the best tips you can follow to better deal with them. Some days are going to be harder than others, but over time it is possible to teach them how to handle their mood swings in a healthier way.
