Question:
Hello sir,
I am writing to you because I have been very moody lately. I’m wondering when my hormones will settle down. I checked the stages description and it said during stage 4 that the hormones will settle down. Your calculator puts me in late stage 3, and I am 14 years old.
I also am growing a little bit of chin hair. Does this mean I’m going to be entering stage 4? When will my mood stabilize and my hormones settle down? Will they settle down in stage 4?
Thank you.
Answer:
Chin hair is one of several indicators that you are moving into stage 4 of development. Each stage lasts about two years and the changes during that stage are spread out over the stage. Your testosterone levels rocketed upward during stage 3 and they will continue to climb a bit more overall before settling down to your adult level. Though most graphs show a smooth climb, in reality, the hormone levels bounce around daily, if not hourly, as the changes occur. It is those changing levels that make it difficult to manage your moods. Thus, you are going to have to continue dealing with mood swings for a while but as you get closer to stage 5, you’ll notice that they don’t swing nearly as much.
While it is hard to keep this in mind, you have to remind yourself that you can’t allow your moods to decide what you will be doing. You have to use your reason and focus on doing what is right. Morality is fixed, while your moods are not.