Dealing with Teenagers: 10 Amazing Tips on Dealing with Their Emotions

Are you struggling with the rollercoaster of emotions your teenagers are expressing lately? The teen years are crazy for your children as they are experiencing new things, new growth spurts, the release of so many new hormones, and so much more. If you are struggling, here are ten tips on how you can deal with their emotions better! 

1.  Stay Calm 

One of the most important things you can do when your teenager gets upset is to remain calm. If they see you get upset, they will stop sharing their emotions with you. This is mainly because they feel as though you are mad at them for having feelings. 

While it can be extremely challenging, try to be emotionless when your teen outbursts. This shows that you can be trusted to handle their emotions. Staying calm will help them trust and reach out to you when they are struggling in the long run. 

2. Respect Them 

Teenagers need respect. While they are not adults, they don’t know everything, and they certainly test our patience; teens deserve to be respected by their parents. They are human beings with emotions just like you and me. 

Try to remember back to when you were a teenager. You wanted your parents to trust and respect you, so why not do the same for them? This will help them to be able to unload on you all their emotions because they know you will be there for them.  

3.Role Model 

What better way to help your teenagers learn how to deal with their emotions than to model healthy ways yourself? Do you show your kids how you personally deal with those emotions when you get upset? Or do you lash out and get upset even more? 

To teach our kids how to deal with their emotions healthily, we must first recognize how we deal with our emotions. Once we are aware, we can change our outlets to be healthy ones. Then, your teens will do the same! 

4. Teach Them Healthy Outlets 

Let’s take a look at a few healthy outlets we can teach our teenagers to handle their emotions when things arise.

Breathing exercises will help your teenager calm down quickly and calmly. You can try many different breathing techniques until you find one your teen likes best. 

Journaling will also help your children feel heard and healthily release their emotions. Have them write down everything they feel in a journal for no one to read ever again. 

You can also try exercising. Exercise helps us release built-up emotions, stress, and hormones in our bodies so we can calm down better. Go for a run, take a walk through nature, or do a quick workout together. 

5. Stay Constant 

The more you stay consistent with handling their emotions, the more your teenagers will. Try to always offer the same support, so they know you will always be there for them. When we are constant, our teenagers will be happier and trust us! 

6. Just Listen

Sometimes all our kids need is a shoulder to cry on and someone to listen to them. There is a hard balance between helping your children overcome their negative emotions and just listening to offer support. When we listen, our kids know we love them and will always be there for them, showing them that they are in charge of their emotions. 

They will need to learn how to take care of themselves when they get older. When we stop trying to find a solution for them, we help them practice taking care of their own emotions by themselves! Listening sometimes is the answer itself, so be sure to listen first to your children and then go from there. 

7. Support Them

Your kids always come first, even when struggling with anger and other hard emotions. Even if you don’t agree with their emotions or their side of the story, you still need to support them. So, how do you support them if you don’t agree with them? 

Use empathy. Empathy is when you truly listen to someone and put yourself in their shoes. Essentially, you listen to what they feel, and then you feel what they feel. Once you do that, share, and acknowledge their feelings. This is the best way to support your moody teenagers even when you don’t understand or agree with their emotions. 

8. Stay Connected 

The more you are connected with your children, the more you will understand them. Talk to them about their day and their feelings all the time. That way, when they are going through something hard, you will already be aware and can better help them. 

While it may seem cliche, try to talk to them when they get home from school or at the dinner table. Try to not always ask about their day, but also how they felt about certain things. You can also make a chart and have them write down and record their feelings for each day in their journals too. This way, you and your teenagers are both aware of their emotions! 

9. Handle Your Own Emotions First 

Do you ever feel totally fine until your teen tries to unload on you, and then you freak out? Usually, this means you have emotions you haven’t taken care of yourself. Take a scan of your feelings and deal with your own emotions first. Then, you will have plenty of room to take care of your teens! 

10. Try Again 

You are going to mess up. You will make mistakes and will not be the best at helping or teaching your children how to deal with their emotions. That’s part of being a parent, and it is okay. One mistake here and there will not damage your children past the point of no return. 

When you make a mistake, try again. Acknowledge to your teen that you messed up and then try to do better next time. If you find yourself struggling more and more, try to become aware of your own emotions and work through those so you can help your children! 

Dealing with teenagers’ emotions is never easy. But you can do it! Use these ten tips next time your teenager is upset, and you will be able to handle their emotions a lot easier. Don’t give up. Eventually, everything will be okay.

Kate Tekurio (Author)

Kate graduated with her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She is a mother of two children and has passion for mental health. She is the founder of kateable.com, where she empowers mothers to take control of their mental health and live their best lives.