Hi Sam. I’ve been getting incredibly snappy for my age and I feel like my parents absolutely hate me for it. But I can’t control it! And it seems to be such a big problem for me. Because I have lost a few friends, i feel alone. Isolated. My mood drastically changed throughout the day, and some things just come off of my tongue without me thinking about what I’m saying. I don’t know what I can do to control it, and I don’t want to hurt more people.
Sam
Hi there
It’s normal to feel irritated and snappy sometimes – everyone has a bad day from time to time. If you’ve noticed you're feeling this way often then it might be something that you need more support with.
There are lots of reasons for mood changes, like hormones during puberty, being tired or getting into a pattern of behaviour that’s hard to change. It might feel tough at the moment but there are things you can do to feel more in control.
When you’re going through puberty you might experience mood swings, feeling up one minute and down the next. It happens when your hormone levels are changing and can make you feel confused and stressed. It’s a normal part of puberty and it can help to tell your friends and family that you’re finding your emotions difficult at the moment.
It’s also important to remember that puberty and hormones are just one possible reason you might be feeling this way. It might be there’s something else going on that you might not realise is affecting you. Sometimes it can help to think about how you feel and what might be causing it. Writing a diary is a really good way of doing this as you can look back on what you wrote at a later time. You can also use the mood journal on the Childline website to keep a track of your feelings.
It’s important to take care of yourself. One way to help set yourself up for the day is to try and spend 5 or 10 minutes relaxing in the morning and at night. During the day you could try taking 2 or 3 slow deep breaths every hour or two which will help you to stay more balanced. When you feel irritable or snappy breathe in and out to the count of 4 until you start to feel calmer.
I hope this advice has helped. You can always talk more about what’s worrying you with a Childline counsellor.
Take care and thank you for your letter,
Sam
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