Page 23 - (DK) Help Your Kids with Growing Up: A No-Nonsense Guide to Puberty and Adolescence

MOOD SWINGS 21

The causes of mood swings P ARENT TIPS
During puberty, parts of the brain mature at different rates. The limbic Supporting your teen
system, the part responsible for emotions and feelings, develops early
on. The prefrontal cortex, which regulates a person’s response to their • If your teen is experiencing extreme emotions, try
emotions, doesn’t develop until later, towards the end of puberty. While to identify and support them with the underlying
the prefrontal cortex catches up with the limbic system, teens tend to cause or feeling, rather than focusing on their
experience extreme emotions and are generally less able to control their behaviour.
emotional responses, resulting in mood swings. • Give them space to relax and let them know
Mood swings aren’t just down to teenage brain development, you’re there for them. Once your teen is calm,
however. The pressures of puberty – encountering new situations, feeling talk through any issues together.
self-conscious, coping with peer pressure and increased expectations,
and worries about exams, relationships, and the future – all play a major
role in teens’ changing moods.

When teens feel proud,
Feeling excited can
make a teen feel on there can be no stopping
them from reaching
top of the world.
their goals.
Being silly together
over something funny Feeling bored can give teens
can bring friends time to daydream and get
closer to each other. inspired, but it can also make
them feel stuck in a rut.

Sometimes during puberty,
teens feel lonely, even if
they’re in a crowd.

When a teen feels irritated because they It’s perfectly normal to feel
don’t know how to achieve something, sad or anxious at times. But
it might be time to step back and if these feelings persist,
rethink their approach. speak to a doctor.

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