When your teen’s mood changes, their entire view of the world can shift with it. Learn what mood dependence is, why it happens, and how validation helps your teen separate feelings from facts.

Ever had your teen come home from school, throw their bag on the floor, and yell that their entire day was “awful”? Even if you know most of their day went fine, in that moment it feels impossible to convince them otherwise. What you’re seeing isn’t drama—it’s emotion dysregulation.

Imagine the last time you argued with your teen. There could be a million different situations that prompt an argument, but most follow a similar pattern. You and your teen probably disagreed about something, and each of you was probably trying to prove that your perspective was the right one. Consider the following fictitious example of an argument between Diane and her daughter, Laura. Notice any similarities between their exchange and a typical argument with your teen.

It’s the second week of school.

Your teen walks through the door, drops their backpack, and disappears into their room. You hear the door click shut.

You tell yourself it’s just a long day. But part of you wonders if this is the beginning of the same pattern you’ve seen before: the strong September start that slowly unravels until your teen feels completely shut down.

You’ve been here before. For most parents, back-to-school season brings school supply lists, shopping for new clothes, and making sure their teen has what they need to succeed in a new school year.

Learning to be BOLD

Guest Blog by Jen Moyer, LPC

In the last two blogs, you learned how to recognize when anxiety is keeping you stuck in a cycle of avoidance and now to use motivational skills and committed action to break the cycle of anxiety and live more aligned with your values.

In the previous blog, you learned how the cycle of anxiety works and how to recognize it when it shows up in your life. Now it’s important to build insight and skills to break the cycle by doing something different than what anxiety wants you to do…

Anxiety often feels overpowering, for the person who experiences it and for the parent who witnesses their teen or young adult struggle.