My Comments: You’ve read my posts before where I push to help parents and their students find the money to pay for college. Far and away the best source is money that belongs to someone else. No, you don’t steal it, but you do set yourself up in such a way that colleges and universities give it to you so you’ll attend their school.

This article came to me the other day from a group that works to help students and their parents get out from under debilitating debt. This is when the family either never knew about the free money or couldn’t be bothered to find out. And ended up with college loans that are incredibly difficult to get out from under unless you have the money to simply pay them off.

I’ll say it again: the best way to pay for college is with someone else’s money. You just have to know how to ask for it. Let me show you how. In the meantime, if you’re up to your eyeballs in debt, read what these people have to say:

Whether they graduate or not, after leaving college most people end up facing a large student loan debt. Although this is an unpleasant fact of life, it`s virtually inevitable if you pursue higher education. With the stress of repayment added to the stress of starting a career, did you ever stop to consider that your college debt might be detrimental to your health?

Even before graduating or leaving college, students are impacted negatively by the student loan facing them. In a number of recent studies, students describe their student loan as a dark cloud hanging over them or a recurring nightmare that frightens them and even keeps them awake and prevents them from studying. After leaving school, many of these former students say that the stress from their college debt adversely affects their job performance or ability to get a good job and even affects their dating and relationships.

With today`s rising costs, the average student loan for a bachelor`s degree in the U.S. totals just under $25,000. For those who are in specialized careers such as law or medicine and for those who pursue master`s degrees and doctorates, this loan amount can total more than $100,000. Whether the loan is for $25,000 or $150,000, it`s a heavy debt for anyone who is just starting out in life.

It`s no wonder that a growing number of young, college-age people are under a physician`s treatment for stress. Moreover, it`s highly probable that most physicians are well aware of the cause of this stress. Physicians are no strangers to college debt. In fact, it`s a safe bet that the vast majority of practicing physicians have had to pay off, or are still paying, a large student loan debt.

Physicians are particularly vulnerable to the stress of college debt, because after graduation many of them go into stressful residency positions in hospitals and emergency rooms. These residencies and internships are difficult, often nerve-wracking and usually don`t pay well. After coming home from a 12-hour shift in the emergency room, no one wants to face a mountain of debt or have to worry about affording the rent after making the monthly loan payment.

If your student loan debt is affecting your health and making your life spiral out of control, here are some ways you can take charge of it and get your life back:

Apply for Debt Forbearance

You may not realize it, but student loans are structured to make allowances for health and personal problems. If you have a health condition or any other extenuating circumstances, you can apply for debt forbearance.

With debt forbearance, you can postpone your payment plan for an indefinite time period. Although forbearance is typically given for as much as a year at a time, you can apply for a longer postponement if your circumstances demand it.

The downside of this is that you`ll still be charged interest and this interest will continue to accrue during the postponement of the loan payment, so the sooner you can get back to making your regular monthly payments the better off you`ll be.

Consider a Direct Consolidation Loan

A Direct Consolidation Loan will allow you to consolidate all of your college debts into a loan package that you can pay off in one single payment each month. Direct Consolidation Loans not only offer convenience by consolidating your debts, but they also provide you with a lower interest rate and an extended period in which to pay. Direct Consolidation Loans have a fixed interest lasting for the entire life of the loan. This fixed interest varies depending on when you sign your agreement, but the rate will never be higher than 8.25 percent.

Best of all, a Direct Consolidation Loan will protect you from garnishments and threats if you`re currently receiving them from creditors. It gives you the breathing room to pay off your loan at a monthly payment that you can comfortably afford.

Apply for a Deferment

If you`re in graduate school or the military, or if you`re undergoing economic hardship and unemployment, you can apply for a deferment on your subsidized loan. A deferment differs from debt forbearance in that it prohibits interest from accruing during the length of the deferment.

Whether you research National Debt Relief or talk to a student loan representative, you can get the help you need to manage your student loan debt. By finding out your options, you`ll not only protect your finances, but you`ll also protect your health.