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As a parent, it’s really hard to see your child fly the nest when they head off to college, and it’s even harder to see them struggle with the stress of being a student.

The good news is, there are lots of things you can do when helping the student in your life cope with stress and strains of college life, including the following:

Be there for them

The most important thing you can do for the college student in your life is to let them know that you are always here for them. They may be many states away studying at college, but you are always available at the end of the phone when they need to talk things through, and they can always come and visit you whenever they want.

This will give them the comfort they need to carry on because they will know that, if things get tough and they really cannot cope, they will be able to rely on you to help them through and this can make such a difference to their mental wellbeing.

Help them manage their finances

One of the biggest causes of student stress is undoubtedly money, and students with a lower socioeconomic status will typically have a harder time getting through college than those of a higher status.

That is why it is so important you equip them with the financial tools they need to get through. From helping them to apply for scholarships that will take the pressure off to assisting them in coming up with a budget that will enable them to cover their expenses and maybe have a little left over for fun, anything you can do to help them get their finches in order will take the pressure off and lower their stress levels significantly.

You could direct your child to a blog that helps then have free cash back every time they spend, as well as free sign up offers.

Send them a meditation subscription

If the student in your life has shown signs of being stressed out buy all of those assignments, then gift them a meditation subscription from a company like Headspace and encourage them to use it every day.

If they learn how to meditate, then they will almost certainly learn how to better regulate their stress levels, find more mental clarity, and even improve their creativity and productivity, all of which will help them to stress less and enjoy the experience more.

These days, many colleges will have their own meditation courses and groups, so it could even be a social thing for them where they can get together with like-minded students and enjoy a healthy activity.

Send them healthy groceries

One thing that can, surprisingly, lead to stress among students is a bad diet. So many kids who are away from home for the first time will indulge in a lot more pizza and chips than they used to at home and this can take a toll on the body and mind.

If you want to help your student be less stressed, then, a really nice thing to do would be to send them an occasional gift basket filled with healthy fruit and veg, just to give them the gentle nudge they need to eat healthily. Hopefully, they’ll see how a much difference a few days of god food does and make more of an effort to eat well in the future.

Visit them and help them visit you

Homesickness is not an uncommon cause of stress and anxiety for students, especially in those first months at college. One thing that can really help to mitigate against this, along with regular phone calls, is taking a weekend to visit your student in college and give them a bit of extra caste for a day or two.

Letting them know that you will buy them tickets to get home a couple of times each year, so they know that they never have to wait too long to see you and the rest of the family, can also be a big help in this respect, too.

Don’t put too much pressure on them

Of course, you want the student in your life to achieve all they can so they can be all they can be, but if you put too much pressure on them to achieve, and you are always pushing them to work harder and get better grades, then this could cause their stress levels to soar and they may well end up burning out.

You should, of course, encourage their studies, but you should do so in a casual way that does not pile on the pressure, and of course, you should always ask them if there is anything you can do to make studying easier for them.

Give them some fun

All work and no play can cause a huge amount of stress, so if the student in your family is working really hard, why not send them some cash to have a night out or book a spa day for them to relax? Let them have some fun and they will come back refreshed and ready to tackle the next big assignment.

Encourage them to talk to someone

If your student is really struggling to deal with stress effectively, then it is a good idea for you to suggest they speak to a counselor or therapist as soon as possible, Most colleges will have counselors available for the student body to talk to, but there are also apps that can be used to access mental health support too, so perhaps offering to pay for a subscription to one of them could be a good way to show your support.

Being a student is always going to be stressful to some extent. The need to balance studying hard with an active social life and a part-time job can get on top of college kids from time to time, but if they take the time to work on their wellbeing, with your help, they are far more likely to keep stress at bay, most of the time, at least. So, be sure to share these student stress-busting tips with them!