#TBCSmiles May 2020..... 69 months.

How are you getting on? How is your mental health? Some of us have got into a routine and it's working okay, but for a lot of people the day-to-day is not getting any easier. It's Mental Health Awareness Week coming up, and the theme is Kindness. If we can all just reach out to one other person, it'll spread a warm glow around the UK. 

Coronavirus has affected us all, and we aren't alone. Around the world 87% of schoolchildren have had extra time off. Over half the world population have been in lockdown simultaneously. We're all a bit scared, but we aren't ever alone in that. Remind someone that they aren't alone, and encourage your children to do the same. 

And forgive people when they don't quite behave like themselves. Fear can make some people very angry, or very quiet, or snappy, or loud.  Be kind. 

Thank you to everyone who has shared their smiles this month. Anyone can join in! It seems we can all still smile, and not fall out with our family, even under lockdown. Loads of outdoor photos this month, we have been pretty lucky with the weather. 

I've also discovered a few hundred smiles shared with a slightly mis-spelt hashtag - so if you think I never comment on your photo or choose it for the collage, I'm so sorry! The actual hashtag has 1 x S in the middle - #TBCSmiles - and here are just 9 of the biggest smiles from this month, chosen by my boys. You can see them all by searching the hashtag on Instagram... 

The above beauties were shared by the following instagrammers:

 

KatyKicker / ThroughAmisEyes / SusanKMann

Tracy75_x / Beeckz / TheStrawberryFountain

EarthBasedFun / GenuinePlacebo84 / ChocolateAndWineAndIllBeFine

We had our own smiles here too. Lots of letting off steam in the garden or on windy walks, gardening (which is a job which we have on and I'll show you later), and we played with a few toys sent for review this month.... We made many more smiles, these are the ones I don't only have stored in my head. 

If the lockdown or anything else is getting you down, try and find someone to talk to about it. You're allowed to feel hard done to, even if someone else 'has it worse'. You won't be alone. 

If you are struggling to cope, here's a link to the NHS Mental Health and Wellbeing 'Tips'. They're a bit poop, but there are links to other people who can help, and reminders that there's always someone at the end of a phone.