Escaping a Low-Pressure System (also known as a tornado)

So, I know that I'm working on being less reactive, but the gift that I gave Christ today was a reaction to some information that I received. In the spirit of friendship and honesty, one of my friends told me something that didn't make me feel super great. Actually, my first feeling was that of unhappiness with a negation of worth on my part. Self-negativity started going around and around in my head, gaining power like a thunderstorm turning into a tornado. And that's what it felt like; a destructive cycle with a hollow center, sucking me into myself and my own feelings.

So for Christ, I tried to reject the negative messages and focus on what this friend needed. He didn't need for me to make him feel worse. So I tried to show him his worth, and while doing so, attempted to reject negative messages about mine. I tried to be still enough that my Savior could help me, and though I'm definitely a work in progress, I would be a lot worse off if I hadn't given Him my own effort as well as access to my heart. I didn't succumb! I wasn't victim to my own neural pathways. I fought back in my thoughts as well as my actions.

For instance, when someone tried to move me off the couch to take my seat (even though they already had one) I said no. And when they kept pushing me, I said, "Hey! I'm working on feeling like a worthwhile human being whose agency matters, so no, you can go back to your seat and I'll keep mine." Even though it was a stubborn contest, I triumphed in the end, and I'm quite proud of myself. Normally, I would just be like, "yes, you take whatever you want, even if it's unreasonable and encourages bad behavior." Not this time. Awww yeah.