"Just leave me alone, I am in a bad mood...." - Information for teens

I am sure you have had days where everything and everyone just irritates you... you are even irritating yourself.

 It feels like you are going through all the emotions in one day.  One moment happy, next moment sad or angry. These up and down emotions can really make you feel out of control.

            

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If you speak to your friends about this (because heaven forbid your parents will understand....they are so old and were NEVER teenagers) you will learn that this happens to all teenagers.  A lot of things are going on in your life and sometimes it just feel that the pressure gets to you.  People disappoint you, you need to do good in school, you are moving to a new place, your boy/girlfriend dumped you, you do not like your body, your face is full of pimples, you stress about a lot of things.... and so the list continues.

Being a teenager means that you are still 'finding' yourself.  Getting used to and turning into the person you are becoming, not to mention all the changes taking part in your body that can play such a huge role in breaking down your self image.

Apart from all these stress factors and things happening to and around you, there is also that terrible word PUBERTY.  Hormones that are acting as though they are on a roller coaster, up and down, up and down...

When puberty begins, the body starts producing sex hormones. These hormones — estrogen and progesterone in girls and testosterone in guys — cause physical changes in the body. But in some people, they also seem to cause emotional changes — the ups and downs that sometimes feel out of control. 

Understanding and accepting the fact that all of these things are normal, maybe not enjoyable, but it will pass and most importantly, all of your friends are also going through this as many before you did, will maybe make it a bit easier to get through.

It is all good and well that you are feeling this way, and can most of the time blame it on 'being a teenager', but you do not get a free ticket for being rude or acting out.

If you are not feeling well or a bit emotional, you do not have to be mean to friends or your parents... it is not their fault that you are hitting puberty.  You can tell them in a nice way that you prefer to be left alone.  Most parents will understand and even appreciate it rather than getting into a fight and ending in screaming and crying.

Even it is most of the time okay to feel a bit down from time to time, you have to be aware if your mood stays that way and most of the time you feel down, sad or lonely.  You can even feel worthless and believe nobody cares for you.  This can be a sign of depression and if that is the case you will need to get help from a professional that deals with this every day.

Many people think of depression as feeling sad, but depression also can bring feelings of moodiness, impatience, anger, or even just not caring. When depression gets in the way of enjoying life or dealing with others, that's a sign you need to do something about it, like talking to a counselor or therapist who can help you deal with it. Also, if you ever feel like hurting yourself, that's more than just a bad mood and you need to tell someone. 

Next time you are in a bad mood, there are some things that you can do that can help

1. Think about the fact that there is not necessarily something wrong with you for having mood swings and that you are also not the only teenager going through it.
2. Before you 'loose it' and start shouting at somebody, try and take a deep breath and calm down and think about the situation and how you feel about it.
3. Talk to your friends and your parents or someone you trust about your feelings.
4. Stay active, get enough sleep and try and do something creative or what you enjoy.  We need to put things in our life that makes us happy.
5. If you feel sad or the pressure gets too much, there is no shame in crying.  A good 'crying session' will always make you feel better.

Just when you think you will never feel better again, the mood will most probably go over and you will feel happy again... until the next mood strikes.

Do not be too hard on yourself, all part of growing up.... even if it sucks a lot of times.