Do you enjoy celebrating? I do. Any excuse for a party. Our little granddaughter celebrated her second birthday recently and we had a lovely party at home for her.

She was smiling, laughing and dancing around all day. There were balloons and cakes aplenty. Everyone enjoyed it and it filled our hearts with joy.
I can still remember some of my own birthdays when I was a little girl too. Do you have any happy memories like this? It is so good for your mental health to experience this joy.

How does joy affect your brain? We feel joy in our bodies because of the release of dopamine and serotonin, two types of neurotransmitters in the brain. Both chemicals are heavily associated with happiness (in fact, people with clinical depression often have lower levels of serotonin).

Even just the simple act of smiling can help. Smiling can trick your brain by elevating your mood, lowering your heart rate, and reducing your stress. The smile doesn’t have to be based on real emotion because faking it works as well.

Recently I was invited to a dear friend’s 40th birthday party at The Castle Hotel, Taunton.

She looked amazing and was surrounded by her family and friends.

There was delicious food, a disco and Luis Martelo entertained us with his trumpet playing.

The smiles and laughter were contagious and we were even treated to the birthday girl dancing, barefoot on a table. You could feel the love in the room. I won’t name her, to save her blushes and the fact she doesn’t look 40.

On Sunday night we watched the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on tv. We didn’t set out to watch it, however, we are so glad we did.

Firstly, it was lovely to see the Queen looking so well, especially as she had to miss the Queen's Speech at the opening of parliament recently.

Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it is a privilege to be able to enjoy it with the whole world.

I thought she looked amazing, especially for a lady of 96 years old.

The smile on her face and twinkling eyes when she saw Lady Louise Windsor enter the parade ring driving the Queen’s late husband’s beloved carriage in an emotional tribute to her grandfather Prince Philip.
It was so amazing to see her smile, so full of love and happiness.

Try and allow yourself to celebrate whenever you can. It is so good for you.

See you again in two weeks. Until then – Stay safe and be kind.