Teenagers are often associated with mood swings and the causes of them can often vary. It could be problems with peers, romantic relationships, school pressure or what is most commonly associated with a teen’s emotional changes; puberty. While many parents think nothing can be done about their teen’s mood swings, this doesn’t have to be the case. Here are some great tips to help your teen with their moods, which will not only make things easier for you but for your teen as well.
Sleep
It may seem the most obvious tip but having enough sleep is essential when it comes to your teen’s concentration and moods. Your teen needs a minimum of eight hours of sleep a night. A study from the American National Sleep Foundation found that 24% of teens who didn’t get enough sleep were depressed and even some experienced suicidal thoughts. So it is really important to make sure that your teen is getting enough sleep.
Depression
Sometimes your teen’s mood swings could be a symptom of something more that could bothering them and definitely something as a parent, you should keep an eye out for. If you are concerned about your teen’s behaviour, there are a few things that you keep an eye out for: lack of sleep, lower energy levels and irritability. If this case make sure to talk to your teen without judgment about what is wrong. In some cases it could be necessary to get a therapist involved.
Diet and Fitness
You may believe it plays no contributing factor towards mood swings but if you’re teen isn’t eating healthy food and is not getting enough exercise, it can be a big contribution to your child’s bad moods. It’s not that surprising that exercise has been proven as a great mood booster but also a stress reliever. Exercise releases the body’s feel-good chemicals such as endorphins which can really help elevate those scary mood swings. So even though they are probably not keen on the idea, make sure your teen gets out of the house and gets active.
Your teen is probably less than desirable right now, but try to remember to be compassionate, because even though your child may not act like it, you are the one person they need the most right now.
