In high school and even college, personal wellness is something that most teens have not yet had to be solely responsible for. Identifying ways that your student aged child can easily transition from having constant parental involvement in their health needs to needing to thrive off more independence is a great way to buffer the transition and create a greater opportunity for success. Kids have a habit of taking things for granted and it can be a slippery slope once they are experience increased personal freedom.
Communicate and Educate
Communication is arguably the foundation of almost anything wellness related, creating an environment for your kids to be able to speak freely with you about their health needs is a great way to show support and be a part of their problem-solving strategies. Being proactive with this by increasing their responsibility to their health plan is a great example of how to start the conversation. For example, instead of making all your child's appointments for them, have them make the calls, help with the scheduling, and doctor shop when needed. In doing so you are giving them the tools necessary to build habits to practice self-care in college when they are no longer living under your roof.
College specifically is a whole lot of 'new' for kids. The class styles are new, the geography, living arrangements, almost everything. Suddenly being responsible for everything for themselves can be overwhelming. Talk to your kids beforehand about telehealth for college students. This is a great way to enhance overall health and wellness and give students a chance to stay on top of their physical and emotional needs.
With most health care providers now offering a significant opportunity for telehealth appointments, your child has a higher chance of being able to maintain their same doctors without having to come back to their hometown for an appointment. Familiarity can be a great component of support and help alleviate some of the sting of so much newness at this stage of life.
Help with Healthy Habits
The change in lifestyle is possibly the biggest that a kid will experience when moving out of their parents' home and settling into college life. They are now completely in charge of their schedules which can unfortunately create unhealthy habits if they are not armed with the information and desire to prevent that from happening. Talk to them early and often about the importance of building habits and routines that feel manageable as well as support health and wellness.
While you still have your kids with you 24/7, introduce them to activities they will soon be solely responsible for, like grocery shopping and meal prep. Kids who leave home and have no frame of reference for how to grocery shop or prepare even simple meals are more likely to make unhealthy choices in the short term that can have long-term negative consequences. Helping your kids learn tips and tricks that develop a nutritious meal plan is a must for overall wellness. Food is root of a lot of wellness related issues, good and bad, teaching proper nutrition from a young age sets your kid up to elect those choices for themselves once they have increased freedom.
