Month: May 2025

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Helping Teens Find Their Calm (Even When Life Feels Like A Lot)

Helping Teens Find Their Calm (Even When Life Feels Like A Lot)

Teenagers today are navigating more than ever, academic pressure, social comparison, friendship shifts, identity exploration, tech overload… and all of it while their brain and body are still developing.

It’s no surprise that many of our young people feel anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck. What is surprising is that so few of them have ever been taught what’s actually happening in their nervous system when stress hits or how to calm it down.

That’s exactly what my new school-based workshop aims to change.

“In Control. A Toolkit for Stress, Overwhelm, Focus & Feeling Better” is a workshop I’m now delivering to high school students.

It’s practical, empowering, and designed to help teens feel steadier, not through lectures or overwhelm, but through hands-on experience and science-backed tools they can actually use.

In this workshop, students learn:

  • What happens in the brain and body when stress, anxiety, or overwhelm hit
  • Why common reactions like shutdown, avoidance, or irritability make sense
  • How they can actively calm their nervous system in moments of pressure

We then explore practical, body-based tools that can be used anytime, anywhere, from long exhale breathing and grounding exercises to tapping sequences, cold water resets, and affirmation practices. Students are invited to try each tool, reflect on what resonates, and build their own ‘Calm Kit’ to take away.

This isn’t just about coping in the moment, it’s about giving young people lifelong skills in emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience.

Because language and support at home matter, too, I’ve created a follow-up Parent Seminar to accompany the student session.

It’s called “Supporting Teens Through Stress. What to Say, What to Do, What Really Helps” and it equips parents and carers with insights into their teen’s nervous system, practical ways to co-regulate, and a deeper understanding of the exact tools their child learned. That way, the language of calm isn’t something teens carry alone, it becomes a shared conversation.

If you’re an educator, wellbeing lead or parent who wants to bring this practical wellbeing offering to your school community or home, I’d love to connect. You can contact me here.

Let’s help our young people and us as the adults who care for them feel more in control, supported, and steady. There is no more important job.

Megan x

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Supporting Your Teens Through Exam Stress

Supporting Your Teens Through Exam Stress

As assessment and exam time approaches, many teens are quietly carrying an invisible burden. You might notice a change in their mood, snappiness, withdrawal, tears, or complete shutdown. 

Beneath the behaviour is often a mix of fear, pressure, and comparison, things they might not have the words for yet. And as parents, it’s hard. We want to help. We want to fix it, but what they usually need most is presence, not pressure.

They might be wondering:
• “What if I can’t do it?”
• “What if I let everyone down?”
• “Why am I the only one feeling this way?”

What’s really going on

Teen brains are still developing the skills needed to manage stress, things like emotional regulation, time management, and handling uncertainty. When stress peaks, the thinking part of the brain (prefrontal cortex) can take a back seat, and the survival part (amygdala) takes over. That’s why your teen might snap at small things, feel foggy, or shut down altogether.

Stress isn’t always a bad thing, in small doses, it can help with focus and motivation. However, when it builds without support or recovery, it can lead to anxiety, poor sleep, and even physical symptoms. The key is balance: steady routines, small moments of calm, and feeling seen and supported.

What Actually Helps

Here are some simple, ways to show up for your teen in the lead-up to exams and assessments:

  1. Keep perspective in the room

Remind them (gently and often) that exams are just one part of life, not the whole story. They’re learning how to try, how to cope, how to bounce back.

  1. Offer support, not pressure

Instead of “Have you done enough revision?”, try “Is there anything I can do to make today feel easier?” or “Do you want to talk something out?”

  1. Help create a rhythm that soothes, not spikes
  • Sleep matters more than late-night cramming (aim for 8+ hours)
  • A short walk or 20 minutes outside can do wonders for focus and mood
  • Start the day with a protein-rich breakfast
  • Keep evenings calm: warm lights, soft cues to wind down, less screen time before bed
  1. Model rest and boundaries yourself

Let them see you pausing, saying no to overload, and making time for rest. It gives them permission to do the same.

Practical Ways to Support Their Wellbeing

  • Keep a calm, quiet space available for study
  • Stock the fridge with easy, nourishing snacks
  • Suggest a screen-free walk or quiet reset together
  • Run them a bath, light a candle, and let the world pause for a while
  • Sit beside them with no need to talk, your calm presence matters
  • Say, “I’m here if you need to talk it out. No pressure.”

From one parent to another

I’m walking this path too, my daughter is sitting her HSC, and I’ve learnt that the best support isn’t perfect or polished. It’s the quiet presence. It’s running a bath, a hug, sitting beside her, or just listening without trying to solve it.

It’s not about pep talks or productivity hacks. It’s about being steady when things feel wobbly, letting them know without a doubt that they’re more than the sum of their results.

Being there, lovingly and calmly, without condition. That’s what they’ll remember most.

Megan x

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Sleep, Screens and Mood Swings: What’s Really Going on with Your Teen?

Sleep, Screens and Mood Swings: What’s Really Going on with Your Teen?

If your teen seems constantly exhausted, emotionally up and down, and glued to their screen, it’s not a sign you’re failing as a parent. It’s a sign they’re human… and going through one of the most complex and misunderstood developmental stages of life.

Adolescence is a time of massive brain and body changes, and many of the things that frustrate us as parents, like late nights, morning meltdowns, screen habits, mood swings, actually have solid science behind them. When we understand what’s going on beneath the surface, it becomes easier to respond with empathy, not just react in frustration.

This blog unpacks what’s really going on with your teen’s sleep, screen use, and emotional wellbeing, and offers practical, realistic steps to support healthier rhythms at home.

The Sleep Shift: Why Teens Stay Up Late

During puberty, your teen’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) shifts by 1–2 hours, meaning they naturally feel sleepy later at night and want to sleep in longer in the morning. This isn’t about bad habits, it’s biology.

However, school start times haven’t shifted. So, they’re stuck in a cycle of chronic sleep deprivation, which affects mood, focus, memory, learning, and emotional regulation. Teens need around 8–10 hours of sleep per night, but most fall short, especially during the school week.

What Screens Are Really Doing

It’s not just about blue light. The content and stimulation from screens, rapid scrolling, gaming, TikTok loops, late-night group chat, keep their brains alert when they should be winding down.

Screens before bed suppress melatonin, delay sleep onset, and stimulate the nervous system. Add the pressure of social media and the “just five more minutes” mindset, and it’s easy to see how sleep gets derailed.

Research shows that even 30 minutes of screen use before bed increases sleep latency and reduces sleep quality, making teens more irritable, anxious, and foggy the next day.

Why Mornings Feel So Hard

Teens often hit deep sleep just as their alarm goes off. So when you’re trying to wake them, you’re interrupting a brain that’s not ready to function yet.

Try this instead:

  • Gently open curtains for natural light
  • Avoid abrupt wakeups 
  • Let them reorient with calm 
  • Build in a “buffer zone” before demands begin

These small changes reduce cortisol spikes and ease them into the day.

How to Encourage Healthier Sleep & Screen Habits (Without the Battles)

When your teen is up late on their phone and struggling in the morning, it’s tempting to go straight into shutdown mode, “Give me the phone!” but this usually backfires. Instead, try these practical, connection-based strategies that may actually work:

Start with a conversation, not a command

Rather than setting a hard rule, open a two-way chat:

“I’ve noticed you’ve been feeling tired and flat lately. Do you think changing anything around sleep or screen time might help?”

This keeps them from going straight into defensive mode and helps them feel part of the solution.

Frame it as an experiment

Invite them to try something different for a week, like turning screens off 30–60 minutes before sleep, and see how they feel.

“What if we gave a no-phones-after-9:30 plan a go just for a week and see if it helps?”

Small changes are less overwhelming and more sustainable.

Make screen-free wind-down time appealing

Replace the scroll with something soothing:

  • Warm shower or bath
  • Herbal tea or hot chocolate
  • Reading or a chill playlist
  • Low light and comfy surroundings

Help them find what actually works for their nervous system, not just what you think should.

Set up a tech-free sleep environment

Make it easy for them to unplug:

  • Create a shared charging station in the kitchen
  • Use “Do Not Disturb” or night mode from 9pm
  • Keep bedrooms dim and screen-free where possible

Do it as a family, so it doesn’t feel like a punishment.

Use collaboration over control

You could try:

“I know sleep affects everything, from your mood to school to sport. What’s one thing we could tweak this week to help you feel better in the morning?”

This helps them take ownership instead of reacting against you.

Keep your cool

They might push back. That’s normal. Stay calm, hold the boundary, and come back to the why:

“I’m not trying to be the phone police; I just want you to feel your best.”

You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. This is about meeting your teen where they’re at, building trust, and creating a rhythm that works better for everyone.

Sleep is foundational to your teen’s mood, mental health, and ability to cope. Supporting better habits around rest and tech isn’t about control, it’s about helping them feel more balanced, calm, and capable.

Keep showing up, staying consistent, and remain curious. Every small shift makes a difference.

Megan x

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Mother’s Day, Expectations & the Mum Who Keeps Showing Up

Mother’s Day, Expectations & the Mum Who Keeps Showing Up

A quiet kind of pressure can sneak in around Mother’s Day.

We might tell ourselves not to expect too much.
We remind ourselves that they’re teenagers, that they’re busy, and that they show love in their own awkward ways.
We say we’re fine with whatever the day brings.

But underneath? We might still feel the ache.

An ache for a moment of recognition.
An ache for a warm hug.
An ache for someone to see just how hard we’re trying, even when we’re stumbling our way through the mess of parenting teens.

If that’s you, you’re not alone.

Like so much of parenting, Mother’s Day can be a mix of emotions.
Love, gratitude, pride, tangled with exhaustion, disappointment, and the ever-present question: Am I doing this right?

Some years it feels joyful. Other years, you’re scraping yourself together just to get through it and that doesn’t make you ungrateful, it makes you human.

What You Can Expect This Mother’s Day

It might not look like a breakfast tray with fresh juice and a handwritten card.
It might look more like a muttered “Happy Mother’s Day” on their way out to work or sport

And still, you are worthy of love, celebration, and rest.

Whether your Sunday is noisy, quiet, lonely, messy, or magical…
Whether you’re celebrated or barely acknowledged…
Your worth as a mother is not defined by how they show it.

It’s defined by how you show up.
Day in, day out.
Through slammed doors, silent drives, school stresses, and all the “I’m fines.”

A Few Things to Remember this Weekend

You’re allowed to want more.

Wanting to feel seen and appreciated doesn’t make you needy. It makes you human. Let that be okay.

You’re not doing it wrong if it feels hard.

Parenting teens is messy, unpredictable, and deeply emotional. It’s not you, it’s the stage.

Your effort is never wasted.

Every chat, every lift, every packed lunch, every gentle nudge to keep going lands somewhere, even if they don’t say it now.

There is no perfect way to do this.

You’re learning as you go, just like them, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay, it’s real.

It’s okay to make space for you.

You matter, too. Try to carve out a little moment of peace for yourself this weekend. A beach walk, a book, a nap, a coffee in the sunshine, whatever feels good.

So This Mother’s Day…

Go gently.
Lower the bar.
Take the pressure off.
Let the day unfold however it unfolds.

And if you’re feeling a bit wobbly, tender or teary, you’re not alone there either. 

You are raising a whole human. You’re shaping a life.
You are holding the emotional weight of a family and still managing to show up with love.

You’re doing so much more than you realise.

You are seen. You are valued. You are doing enough.

With love this Mother’s Day. 

Megan x

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