Do you find yourself apologizing for everything or saying “I’m sorry” before or after most sentences? In this video I’ll share why you might do that, and what you absolutely do not need to apologize for.
Rachel Havocost is a writer mental health advocate. She says chronic apologizing or saying sorry in front of or behind most of our statements is a way for us to minimize our own experiences. Here are three things to stop apologizing for in 2024.
Three things to stop apologizing for in 2024 hi, my name is Rachel Havocost. I'm a writer mental health advocate. I've been in therapy for 19 years, and I have a master's in psychology, and I'm on a mission to help one person feel less alone. As a chronic people pleaser, I am proud to say that I no longer apologize for most things. I still struggle with it sometimes, not apologizing for that. What I've learned is that chronic apologizing or saying sorry in front of or behind most of our statements is a way for us to minimize our own experiences.
We apologize because we think we're doing too much, saying too much, being too much, and by doing that, we reduce our sense of worth. Or we reinforce a belief that we're not really worthy of taking up much space in the world. So here are some things that you don't need to apologize for. Number one, you don't need to apologize for asking for what you need. Humans need things. We need help. We need support. We need food. We need water. We need things. Right? It's okay to ask for them. You don't have to apologize for asking for what you need, for asking for something to be done differently.
It's completely okay for you to ask for these things without an apology attached. Number two, your feelings. You don't need to apologize for your feelings, feelings or feelings. If you have them, it's okay to express them. It's okay to feel them, process them, talk to somebody about them, and you don't have to apologize for them. Number three, you don't have to apologize for your joy. Oftentimes when we've experienced mental illness or depression and we come to a place where we finally are experiencing some level of happiness in our lives, we're we start to gonna feel guilty or we start to feel like this isn't familiar and I'm not allowed to feel this way.
Or we feel shame for feeling joy when we know there are so many people who aren't feeling joy. And so we apologize for our own happiness. You do not have to apologize for experiencing something that is wonderful and cherished and delightful. You get to just experience it. Let me know in the comments some things that you often apologize for that maybe you don't have to apologize for. And let's have a little conversation about it. Sending you big hugs, no apologies attached.
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