Thanks and no thanks

National Health Blog Post Month Day 22: Give thanks

Sick of Thanksgiving posts yet? If so, too bad. The #NHBPM prompt made me do it! :) I hope you all had a great day today. I got to spend time with family and eat excessively, which is always fun. Except when you're so full you can barely breathe...

Before the day is through, I'd like to take a moment to say "thank you" to my fellow bloggers who have been nothing but welcoming and encouraging since I started this blog last spring. I look to you for inspiration every day, and I'm so grateful that we've gotten to know each other. This includes (but is definitely not limited to): Chelsea, Rev. Carol Taylor, Al, Rose, and Rich. I've also made a few new connections recently, and I look forward to getting to know those folks as well.

What I am not thankful for
I enjoy a good deal just as much, if not more, than the next person. But for some reason, Black Friday is driving me mad this year! Everywhere I go, everywhere I look, I'm surrounded by ads for 50% off this, 30% of that, buy one get one free, etc. etc. What bothers me is that I've started noticing these ads impacting my mood. For example: I might think to myself, "If only I had those Frye boots, I would be happier." Or, "If only I had that bracelet, my life would be easier." It's nonsensical, but I keep noticing this thought pattern repeating itself in my head.

It's strikingly similar to how I used to feel when I used tanning beds. With that, my logic would be something like: "If only I was tan and skinny, then maybe I'd be happy." It freaks me out a little when I notice these negative thought patterns in my head. I love the holidays, and I realize there's nothing wrong with treating myself to a new pair of boots or a pair of earrings every once in a while, but I shouldn't need to rely on material things or the way I look to be happy. I hope that this is a passing phase--one that will fade away as we head into the new year. I'd be curious to hear if any of you start having similar feelings around the holidays, and if so, how do you cope with them?

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This post was inspired by the Day 22 prompt for National Health Blog Post Month.
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