Love the level of introspection going into this post. I'm compelled to add my own two cents to your narrative since it's helped me. I think step 4 is where peo

Love the level of introspection going into this post. I'm compelled to add my own two cents to your narrative since it's helped me. I think step 4 is where people really get caught in a feedback loop. You come up with a reason why you should feel bad, and then you do (step 3) and before you know it you're back at step 4. One approach is to try and cut it off at step 2 like you mention, but I've found this to be a never-ending rabbit hole because installing a better narrative requires constant work. While of course it's not bad to work toward a better narrative of yourself, I've also had great success with meditation and humility targeting step 4. My friends with anxiety and depression all (somewhat paradoxically) are extremely confident when it comes to the rational side of their thoughts. They think they've got it figured out and it's just their emotions or other people that are the problem. I train myself in meditation (don't rationalize at all) and humility (recognize that my rationalizations are never going to be accurate).