The adolescent brain is not yet mature enough to control its emotions.
Between risky behavior, emotional crises or conflicts, adolescents are renowned for their behavioral problems. If hormonal changes may be involved, it is mainly the immaturity of certain areas of the brain that prevent them from controlling themselves.
What happens in the teenage brain?
During adolescence, the brain that deals with emotions matures. That is to say, the young person tends to be more sensitive to what he feels and seeks both the reward and the thrills. In contrast, the regions of the brain that deal with the control of thoughts, emotions and behavior have not yet completed their maturity.
Finally, the adolescent finds himself with an overflow of his emotions without a sufficiently strong regulation system to help him control his impulsivity and his automatisms. This discrepancy not only makes him feel what he lives in a more intense way than adults, but also contributes to the excesses of certain behaviors.
How do you react as parents?
As parents, we can sometimes feel helpless in the face of this emotional outburst. It is better not to insist on having the teenager verbalize if he does not wish to, but to leave the communication open when he feels ready.
On the other hand, the parental educational framework can be very useful so that the teenager can strengthen the control of his emotions and learn that certain things are inadmissible. He needs to find his balance between his autonomy and the clear rules that govern life at home and at school.
Relaxation exercises such as sophrology, yoga, meditation, or cardiac coherence breathing can help to better manage emotions, reduce aggressiveness and promote concentration. Do not hesitate to initiate him, and to take an interest in his world to accompany him in what he feels.
Find out more: “I tame my emotions: I gain in concentration” by Caroline Chappelle, Chronique Sociale editions.
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