When you are a teenager, your body goes through a variety of changes physically and emotionally. These changes can be difficult for you to handle because you are not emotionally and mentally prepared for them. Because you are not prepared, it is natural for you to lash out in an emotional way and mood swings come along with it. Let’s have a look at how to reduce mood swings.
I am one of those lucky moms that her daughter is not a drama queen nor did she have too many mood swings during puberty. She is just like me at her age, but don’t tell her that! Don’t ask me why this part of puberty did not faze the both of us as much as other teens. I really wish I had a miracle answer to give you; however, I am living these mood swings with my 15 year old son and enjoying the fluctuation of his testosterone hormones, but that’s a totally different story all together!
Of course, I still read on the subject of teen girl’s mood swings when she was in her tween, so I would be prepared for the outburst of emotions. Thinking back to my high school years also helped remember the times when my friends would be totally stressed out, very moody, irritable, and could snap at you at one moment and hug you the next minute.
TEENAGER MOOD SWINGS
There are several ways you can use to reduce mood swings. These are 9 tips that I think will definitely help on how to prevent mood swings in teenage girls.
1. Mood Swings: Hormones
Hormonal changes are partially to blame for mood swings and irritability, but it should not be a valid reason for your daughter to lose it and be disrespectful. Yes, it’s understandable that adolescence is a time of physical, intellectual, emotional, and social changes that build the bridge between childhood and adulthood. During this time, it’s important to teach your teenage daughter to control her actions and words as she cannot control her mood.
She has the right to feel sad, angry, and even lonely, but there is a proper way to express her feelings to her surroundings and this is the time for you as a parent to help her cope with her emotions, anguish, and anxieties. Having her count to 10 before she outbursts is a good start by settling down for a few moments, especially if she’s feeling angry or irritable.
2. Exercise
Encourage your daughter to exercise on a regular basis. When you exercise, your body produces more beta-endorphine, a hormone that actually controls stress and improves mood. Make it a family time and head out to the local swimming pool, go for a bike ride, take fitness or yoga classes, or just a jog around the block.
When you exercise regularly, your brain releases dopamine and serotonin. The chemicals significantly improve your mood and decreases or prevents the likeliness of you having mood swings. Participating in sports, taking a walk in the park, or riding a bike is an excellent form of exercise.
3. Eating healthy
Your eating habits affect your mood. Drinking soda and eating junk food can put you in a bad mood. However, healthy foods, such as turkey, bananas, and whole grains, help to promote the release of serotonin which puts you in a better mood.
4. Full night’s sleep
Teenagers actually need more sleep than adults. However, there just does not seem to be enough hours in a day. To feel better and be alert, teenage girls need to get a full night’s sleep which usually lasts eight to nine hours per night. Make sure your daughter is getting enough sleep. When someone is too tired, it can lead to more irritability and mood swings. The National Sleep Foundation mentions that:
“TEENS NEED ABOUT 9 1/4 HOURS OF SLEEP EACH NIGHT TO FUNCTION BEST (FOR SOME, 8 1/2 HOURS IS ENOUGH). MOST TEENS DO NOT GET ENOUGH SLEEP — ONE STUDY FOUND THAT ONLY 15% REPORTED SLEEPING 8 1/2 HOURS ON SCHOOL NIGHTS.
THEY ALSO STIPULATE THAT IT’S IMPORTANT TO:
ESTABLISH A BED AND WAKE-TIME AND STICK TO IT, COMING AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN ON THE WEEKENDS. A CONSISTENT SLEEP SCHEDULE WILL HELP YOU FEEL LESS TIRED SINCE IT ALLOWS YOUR BODY TO GET IN SYNC WITH ITS NATURAL PATTERNS. YOU WILL FIND THAT IT’S EASIER TO FALL ASLEEP AT BEDTIME WITH THIS TYPE OF ROUTINE.
DON’T EAT, DRINK, OR EXERCISE WITHIN A FEW HOURS OF YOUR BEDTIME. DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOMEWORK FOR THE LAST MINUTE. TRY TO AVOID THE TV, COMPUTER, AND TELEPHONE IN THE HOUR BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. STICK TO QUIET, CALM ACTIVITIES, AND YOU’LL FALL ASLEEP MUCH MORE EASILY!”
5. Breath
Teenage girls can make a situation out to be worse than it is and they become stressed out. They should step back, take several deep breaths, and examine the situation. They may realize that the situation is not as bad as it seems to be. If taking a deep breath does not help, they should count to ten.
6. Show off creativity
In order for your teenage daughter to express herself in a healthy way, she can do something creative, such as painting, drawing, writing, singing, or dancing. Plus, she can put creativity to good use by entering contests or making it a career choice. She can also simply write a journal or diary thus to help her express her feelings and organize her thoughts.
7. Talk to friends
Sometimes, your teenager might feel that she cannot talk to you because she thinks that you would not understand her problems. It’s important for her to talk it out with a sibling, relatives, or a friend, so she can get everything out in the open. More than likely, they have dealt with the same situation and understand how you feel.
8. Counseling
If your daughter’s mood swings are severe, you should consider getting professional help. A professional counselor can listen, help her get to the root of your problem, and teach her techniques to cope with it. Many public and private schools have counselors who are happy to help students.
9. Could be more than just mood swings
You know your daughter more than anyone else, therefore when she is moody or feel irritable you can detect that’s it’s due to being a teenage girl. If she seems not to be herself at all, not showing a care for anything or anyone, and just not enjoying life or dealing with family and friends, this could mean more than just mood swings and more like depression. If you are concerned with your daughter’s health and mental state, don’t hesitate to contact your family doctor for a throughout evaluation to diagnostic depression.
As parents, we have to remember that the puberty is not an easy stage of life for our daughters, so we should take the time to actually step into their shoes. Since babies aren’t born with their very own manual (how that would make a parent’s life easier), it takes a lot of patience, understanding and most of all love to raise a child and even more a teenager.
These methods on how to reduce mood swings will help your daughter through her teenage years.
All great tips, the tween and teenage stage can be a challenge when it comes to moods but we just have to be patient and support our kids while they are dealing with all the changes that are causing the majority of these moods!
I totally agree Judy! Patience and support:)
All of these are great tips! I’d add that as hard as it is, a good tip is to remind yourself not to take their mood swings personally!
yes, that is another great tip! If you do, it can lead to many confrontations that are unnecessary.
Oh, you are so lucky. I get a headache just thinking back about those times
yes, I am a very lucky parent! Thanks for commenting:)
I really appreciate these tips. My nine year-old girls are challenging these days and I am going to look at all these aspects of their lives to see if we need to make some changes for the better :).
Hi Lyne! I just finished the tween years, and have just started the teen years. My eldest is not a drama queen, either. She’s very calm, a total 180 degree turn form what I was like! These tips were great! I guess, if I had any other tips would be to let your daughter know that you are here to listen, and to help, not solve their problems for them. Sometimes, my daughter needs an ear or advice to help her moodiness (the few times she was moody). Thanks for these tips!
Great tip Lian! Lucky you too!
My kids are grown now and left the nest but these tips are right on
Thanks,I have passed this along to my who is raising 3 teen girls
All great tips for sure,a lovely photo …oh my they grow way too fast
These are all great tips! I still get mood swing as an adult( The diference is I can’t control it) and it’s usually because I didn’t sleep well.
I mean I can control It.
our daughter had terrible moods during her period. to the point that she sat on the floor & screamed or cried.
a neighbor & woman she babysat for told her what helped her. folate. simple folate. a B vitamin.
it made a WORLD of difference! Night & day really.
Millions of us are vitamin deficient!
hope this blesses someone like it has our daughter.
(who is married ,26 yr & has two girls of her own :-))
Thank you for sharing!
These are all great tips for helping with mood swings