So, where were we?

At the start of 2010, there was a hope that this year would bring good things, exciting developments and most of all positive changes. It hasn't disappointed.

Over the summer I moved to a farm in East Sussex, complete with a paddock, orchard, deer and rabbits in the garden, blackberry bushes and apple trees wherever we go, and breathtaking views over the Downs and surrounding farmland. It is truly beautiful and most of the time I catch myself, wondering what on earth I've done to deserve all this.

True, I was expecting the move to be more stressful. They say moving house is up there with death and divorce in terms of creating stress. I knew that, was aware of it and expected the stress levels to soar through the roof when I moved my family "to the country". It wasn't just a house move, but a lifestyle move, merging two families into one, and getting used to a whole new way (read: slower) way of living out in our East Sussex village. But some of the stress in our lives really is of our own doing, something I've become acutely aware of these past two weeks.

Not quite having made the adjustment to the different pace of life, when the kids started school last week I left the house half an hour early to drive the two miles to the neighbouring village. I was expecting the usual heavy "school run" traffic - "Chelsea tractors", traffic backed up for miles, a 15-minute battle to find a parking space within a mile of the school gates.

Well, the roads were completely empty. Not a car, not a bike. Not even a real tractor.

We arrived at the school 20 minutes early, me clearly looking like the keenest Mum on the block. Taking on board the expression When life gives you lemons, make lemonade we spent 15 minutes watching and talking to the ducks on the pond by the school. When the gates finally did open, the usual school commute stress had evaporated completely. Which, if anything, helped me blend in with the other parents who all looked remarkably stress-free, happy and relaxed.

Sometimes it's not the big life changes that cause the most stress, but the smaller mental shifts we have to make as a consequence. Those small mental shifts - getting used to the layout of a new house, where all the light switches are, which day the rubbish goes out - all feel like they're firing up different synapses in the brain. Which is perhaps why a change really is as good as a rest! It's a break from routine, it shakes things up a bit, gives you a different perspective on life - all those good cliches!

But, just in case I miss the faster pace of life, I will be up in London several times a month to take my usual coaching sessions. And the usual coaching news, tips and guides will be back from next month.

Best wishes,

Dawn