If you’re between 8 and 15, there’s a good chance your body and brain feel like they’re doing their own thing lately thanks to something called puberty. Maybe your mood is all over the place, your body’s changing, and you’re not quite sure what’s going on. If not yet, it’ll probably happen soon. You might feel like a new person whom you’ve never met before. It’s okay. Take a deep breath and relax. It’s not just you.
This has happened, is happening, or will happen with everyone on Earth. Yes, all 7 billion of us. It’s the result of hormonal changes in your body as you grow up. Puberty can be annoying and confusing, but it’s what prepares you for adulthood.
The whole point of puberty is to give you time to grow into the adult version of yourself, one step at a time. Despite what people might say, puberty doesn’t mean you’re a woman, man or adult! It’s just the start of your slow evolution to that. So, to help ease your mind, let’s break down why puberty happens and how it sets you up for everything that comes next!
Brain Development: Levelling up for all the complex adult stuff
Everyone associates puberty with physical changes like growing tall or getting pimples. But if you pause for a moment and think (pun intended!), you’ll realise that your brain is going through a major upgrade, too. You might start noticing that you think differently, maybe more about your future, about right and wrong, or what kind of person you want to be. You may catch yourself making smarter choices (or at least trying to), handling situations more maturely, or just pausing before reacting.
That’s because during puberty, the brain is busy building new connections between nerve cells. This helps you think in more complex and grown-up ways. Basically, your brain starts training for real-life adult stuff like decision-making and managing responsibilities.
Emotional Development: You learn to manage your feelings better
Until now, your life has mostly been centred around your family. But now, your brain is preparing you to grow more independent, form deeper friendships, explore your identity, and figure out how you fit into the world beyond home.
You might also start caring a lot more about what other people think of you, especially your friends or classmates. It’s your brain trying to help you figure out how to fit in and be part of a group. We’re social creatures, and feeling connected to others helps us feel safe and accepted.
At the same time, research shows that during puberty, the front part of your brain (your prefrontal cortex) slowly learns to team up with the emotional centre of your brain. This partnership takes time, and while it’s happening, your emotions can feel intense and overwhelming. Every little inconvenience might feel like your world is crashing down. This emotional sensitivity is part of how your brain learns empathy, trust, communication, and self-awareness.
One of the biggest parts of becoming an adult is learning how to balance all this. Yes, your brain is focused on belonging, but it’s also building the ability to tune into your own values and make decisions that feel right to you. You’re learning how to care about others without losing yourself in the process.
This stage of brain development, messy as it may feel, is setting you up for the skills you’ll use throughout life – how to handle big emotions, how to form meaningful relationships, and how to make thoughtful, independent choices.
Physical Development: You become more fit
Puberty powers up your muscles. A study found that boys after puberty were over 130% stronger than they were before, and girls were 72% stronger. That’s a huge difference. But it’s not just about strength, your body also gets better at using those muscles. Your brain and muscles start becoming a more reliable team.
From an evolutionary point of view, this increase in strength helped people survive and support their communities. It helped them hunt, gather food, carry supplies, build shelters, or protect their group.
Of course, the world has changed now. In today’s modern time, this extra strength helps both boys and girls with everything from sports and dance to lifting things, having better posture and helping out at home.
Sexual Development: Your body gets ready to reproduce
Your body is quietly preparing for another thing – reproduction. But just because your body is getting ready doesn’t mean you have to be, too. Think of these changes as a toolkit you might choose to use much later in life, if and when you’re ready.
If you’re a girl, you’ll get your period (and you can start here for all your period care 😉), which means your body will start releasing one egg each month. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone will make your breasts grow and your hips widen; these physical changes can support pregnancy and breastfeeding in the future.
If you’re a boy, testosterone will trigger sperm production. You’ll notice physical changes like your testicles growing, getting erections more often, and being able to ejaculate (releasing fluid called semen, which contains sperm that can fertilize an egg).
At the same time, regardless of your gender, your feelings might start to shift. You might have your first big crush, start feeling attracted to people, or just get curious about things like sex or relationships.
We know it’s A LOT. These feelings can be confusing and intense. But growing into your sexuality doesn’t happen overnight. There’s no rush, and you’re allowed to go at your own pace. You’ve got plenty of time to learn and make choices that feel right for you.
Pro tip: When you feel overwhelmed, just talk to someone you trust. It could be a parent, older sibling, teacher, or doctor. You don’t need to figure everything out on your own.
Gut development: Your digestive system prepares for adult needs
Your gut is like a second brain that also gets busy growing and changing as you go through puberty. Studies show that during this time, the types of bacteria living in your gut start changing. But why does your gut need to change at all?
Because an adult body has different needs.
As you grow up, your gut grows stronger. It gets better at digesting complex foods and helping your immune system fight off germs. Researchers also found that the adult gut is linked to improved bone health and produces natural antibiotics to defend itself better over time.
And there’s more! Adulthood brings stress, mood swings, and changes in sleep and food habits. Your gut learns how to stay balanced through all of this, which is super helpful since your gut health is closely tied to your brain and how you feel. So, even if you can’t feel it happening, your gut is quietly preparing for adulthood, one microbe at a time.
Mobility Development: Your hand-eye coordination improves
As we grow, our brain and body start syncing up better. One of the clearest signs of that is improved hand-eye coordination. This makes it easier for our eyes and hands to work together more smoothly.
A study even found that as you grow up, you develop faster reaction times and sharper focus. This boost in coordination lays the groundwork for adult activities. Back in prehistoric times, it helped humans to react quickly to danger, throw a spear accurately to hunt, or climb smoothly to safety. In today’s world, adult coordination and mobility help you with things like driving, cooking, typing, and doing the tasks for whichever career you choose as an adult (anything from surgery to carpentry).
In short, strong hand-eye coordination helps the adult-you to act fast, do things safely, and avoid getting hurt.
Spoiler: Puberty means you’re growing up, and it’s going to be okay
If puberty feels like a rollercoaster ride (which it kind of is), just remember that every awkward change or random growth spurt is actually your body’s way of getting you future-ready. From your brain learning how to make better decisions, to your gut supporting your overall health, to your body becoming stronger and more coordinated, it’s all part of the adulthood upgrade.
You’re simply levelling up. Adulthood might still feel miles away, but thanks to puberty, you’re already on your way there, one step (and one pimple) at a time. Be kind to yourself through it all, pat yourself on the back, and keep telling yourself that you’re doing just fine – because you are.
