Parenting is no easy feat, especially as our children move into young adulthood and go through their teenage years. New emotions can begin to appear, including situations that we would have never dealt with before. In this article, we will be looking at how mood swings affect teenagers, why communication is vital, how to be a safe and supportive parent, as well as how aromatherapy can help your maturing children. 

Mood Swings In Teenagers 

For all of us parents with teenagers at home, we know all too well about mood swings. In our teenage years, mood swings are partially blamed on biology. From the ages of 13 onwards, there is significant hormonal change and shifts which happen within our bodies. We begin producing more hormones, and start to mature into young adults. This can mean that your teenagers can become more irritable, have more bouts of sadness, and get angrier more quickly. Typically, as we get older, these rapid changes in mood tend to balance out and we begin to get control over our emotions once more. 

On top of the chemical and hormonal changes which are happening in our bodies, teenagers will also have a lot on their plates as well. Moving through schools, their budding social lives, and other various external pressures can also cause an overwhelming amount of stress and anxiety. All of this can leave teenagers feeling out of control and therefore, add to their bad mood. It's vital that we are not only aware of our children’s natural bodily changes during adolescence but also, of what else could be happening in their lives. 

Communication Is Key

In order to understand your child properly as they move into their teenage years, it’s important to speak often. It’s not uncommon for teenagers to not want to talk to their parents as they age, they are more likely to keep secrets and start more fights than normal. However, by openly communicating with your child you can ensure that they know that you are a safe space for them to open up to and express their feelings. One of the best ways to do this is to put aside some time at the end of both your work and school day to sit down, have a cup of tea, and talk. Ensuring that you are making yourself available is the number one way to let your child know that you are there to communicate.

Safe & Supportive Parenting 

Nothing is more important than creating a safe and supportive environment for your child to grow up in - and this is especially true when your children begin to go through adolescence. 

But, what is ‘supportive parenting’? Being a supportive parent means that you have your child’s best interests at heart, whilst also balancing being present, involved, and generally helpful in their lives. This can mean anything from encouraging them to achieve everything they can inside and outside the classroom, to taking up hobbies that interest them, and ensuring that they have everything they need, emotionally, physically, and mentally for them to feel safe. 

As for being a ‘safe parent’, this can mean many things and the definition can change as a child ages. For example, when your child is a toddler, they will need to be protected against vastly different things than when your child is a teenager. A toddler needs help walking, washing, and of course, mental stimulation to aid them in proper development. Whereas a teenager will need you to care for their emotional needs more, understand them, and communicate with them more often. More often than not a child will pick one of their parents that he or she will let their emotions out, or express their feelings about a situation. In order to be that parent, you have to be able to create a safe space for your child, where they will listen to and be heard.

How Aromatherapy Could Help

Your child will be going through a myriad of new emotions, which may be scary and frustrating at times. Aromatherapy can help balance those emotions and help with new anxieties that they may not have felt before. Before school, applying our DE-STRESS aromatherapy balm to their wrists, temples, or the back of their neck may help them feel more at ease throughout the day and stabilize any running thoughts they may be having. 

Another good option is our SLEEP WELL Wellbeing Ritual Oil for Body, Bath & Shower, which can help your teen relax at the end of the day. Sleep is always of utmost importance, but for growing individuals, it can be even more so. Sleep allows our brains to develop further and is a vital component of our maturing process. Also, with a good night’s sleep, your teenagers will wake up refreshed and ready for the day… even if they do actually get up around noon.