Category: shame

Feeling Buried

Oct 28, 2025

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by

Niki Herron

in aging, anxiety, cognitive distortions, depression, family, health anxiety, journaling, mental health, mother worry, parenting, people-pleasing, perfectionism, personality, shame, social anxiety

Life has a tendency to just keep life-ing. I can start to feel on top of things, only to be smacked down by the unexpected. Monkey had a very specific idea in their head about what they wanted to be for Halloween (yes, my teen is very much still into dress up). We went to…
A little encouragement

Oct 9, 2025

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by

NicoleHerronWrites

in anxiety, author, cognitive distortions, defective, depression, Feedback, INFJ, introvert, journaling, mental health, perfectionism, self promotion, shame, social anxiety, subscribers, vulnerability

The tough thing about healing is that it’s not linear. One day you can feel like you could take on the world, and the next day a poorly timed comment can send you back under the covers. But here’s the thing: I know it doesn’t last. Yes, I’m feeling discouraged. Yes, I have days that…
Unraveling

Sep 5, 2025

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by

Niki Herron

in ADHD, anxiety, author, Book Launch, cognitive distortions, defective, family, introvert, journaling, mental health, parenting, phone anxiety, shame, social anxiety, vulnerability

My brain feels as if it is slipping away from me. I am forgetful, scattered, and overwhelmed. I can only imagine it is a biproduct of the anxiety about the book launch. Or perimenopause. Or both. Since returning from Ireland I’ve felt more and more lost in my own head. It’s like while I was…
Nothing to see here

Aug 5, 2025

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by

NicoleHerronWrites

in ADHD, anxiety, blogging, journaling, shame, social anxiety, social media, vulnerability

This morning I got onto WordPress to type up a blog post. I didn’t have a specific topic in mind, just wanted to update the blogosphere about where I am in the book publishing process. Unfortunately, there was a little notification number next to a menu item on the dashboard and I made the mistake…
Discomfort

Jul 2, 2025

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by

Niki Herron

in anxiety, author, Beta Readers, blogging, cognitive distortions, exposure therapy, family, friendship, Growth, hiding, imposter syndrome, journaling, lessons, mental health, people-pleasing, perfectionism, personality, shame, social anxiety, social media, TEP3, theatre, triggers, vulnerability

It’s no secret that being seen scares me. I’ve tried my best to be open and honest about it (in as quiet a way as possible) because it makes things a tiny bit easier. When I name my fear, it gives it less power. So that’s what I’m doing today. Naming the fear. Yesterday was…
Red Thread: Trust

Jun 18, 2025

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by

Niki Herron

in anxiety, cognitive distortions, discovery, intuition, intuitive writing, journaling, lessons, mindfulness, perfectionism, shame, social anxiety, time anxiety, Trust

Sage continued her theme of Trust in this month’s Red Thread circle. I had accidentally scheduled a lunch for work that overlapped with the circle, but I really didn’t want to miss out. Usually, Red Thread ends up being a CSB page. So, I thought I’d be able to get the journal prompts, then work…
Summer 2025 begins

May 27, 2025

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by

Niki Herron

in anxiety, author, Beta Readers, cognitive distortions, Cosmic Smash Book, Feedback, fiction, grounding techniques, hiding, imposter syndrome, journaling, mental health, people-pleasing, perfectionism, routine, shame, social anxiety, TEP3, triggers, vulnerability, writing

I’m doing better about asking for help and not adjusting my own schedule to accommodate others. Monkey has band T/W/Th this week until noon. I asked my mother-in-law to handle pick up so that I can be at my office working. This is progress, believe it or not! I managed to get the first three…
Who Am I?

May 21, 2025

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by

NicoleHerronWrites

in anxiety, author, cognitive distortions, defective, Growth, imposter syndrome, journaling, mental health, people-pleasing, perfectionism, shame, social anxiety, TEP3, triggers, vulnerability, writing

So much of writing involves mindset. I think everyone has this idea in their heads that authors simply get an idea, write it down, and put it out in the world. But mindset gets in the way at every step. Yesterday’s coaching session revealed a lot of self-doubt. I’m constantly looking for validation from others…
Author Presence

May 7, 2025

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by

NicoleHerronWrites

in anxiety, author, cognitive distortions, creativity, family, Feedback, fiction, imposter syndrome, introvert, journaling, mental health, people-pleasing, perfectionism, personality, self promotion, shame, social anxiety, social media, vulnerability, writing

It’s not enough to write a book, you’ve got to put yourself out there, too.
Anxiety is expensive…

May 5, 2025

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by

Niki Herron

in anxiety, cognitive distortions, introvert, journaling, mental health, people-pleasing, phone anxiety, shame, shopping anxiety, social anxiety, vulnerability

Anxiety comes with a multitude of costs. It can cost time, relationships, dreams, jobs, and even money. In March I got myself a new pair of glasses. I bought them online to avoid going into a store. When they arrived, I didn’t love them as much as I thought I would, but I did love…