THEY'VE been working towards it for 18 years and now the day has finally arrived - the start of university.

Many teenagers decide to study their degrees at institutions away from home, but after their parents have dropped them off at their new digs, how do they react to suddenly having one less person in the house?

For many parents who have spent every day of their children's lives ferrying them around and looking after them, it can be a strange time, says Worcestershire Life Coach Jennie Barnes.

And so many parents are feeling the strain that the scenario has even been diagnosed with its own condition 'empty nest syndrome'.

It can be a time of change and excitement or it can be a time of feeling redundant, said Jennie.

Parents should expect to feel a sadness. They are, in effect, mourning a loss and they should recognise this fact and not subdue the emotions."

However, life has to go on and that's where professionals like Jennie are coming to the rescue.

It's easier to move forward with a positive attitude if plans are made, she explained.

"As a life coach I have worked with people who feel the need for change when the children leave the nest.

Unfortunately, many have focused all of their attention on bringing up the family to the exclusion of all other areas of their lives. Some people have very little else.

But this doesn't mean you have to mope around your offspring's empty room wondering what to do with yourself, says Jennie.

It can be a time for becoming a person in you own right and not just a mum or dad, she said.

So how do you change your life around? Jennie suggests sitting down and dividing your life into the following segments:

Health and fitness

Finance

Family

Significant other relationship

Friends and social life

Home and environment

Career

Self development (including

self-esteem)

Give yourself a mark out of 10 for how happy, fulfilled and satisfied you are with each area of your life, where 10 is blissfully happy and nought is totally unhappy, she said.

Don't think about it too long, just give a gut reaction. Now ask yourself what you could do, in each sector, to move the score up one point.

Do this for each sector and commit yourself to one small change in each sector - and give yourself a time limit for doing it by.

Making small steps in the right direction is a start to changing your life and to boosting your confidence, she said.

The child leaving the nest is an emotional time of change but with the right attitude it could be the time to find the real you and achieve what you'd never have thought possible.

For a life coach session with Jennie call 01886 884022.