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Wednesday 10 January 2018

Compulsive Apologies

Daily OM: Many people suffer with the tendency to apologize all the time, chronically, for everything. On the one hand, apologizing is a social convention that keeps interactions between people polite, and in that way it can be very helpful. On the other hand, if we find ourselves apologizing for everything, it might be time to look at why we feel compelled to say "I'm sorry" so often. Ultimately, saying you're sorry is saying that you are responsible for something that has gone wrong in the situation. Whether it's negotiating a parking spot, moving through the aisles of the supermarket, or reaching for what you want, there are times when sorry is the right thing to say. But there are other times when "excuse me" is more accurate.

Sometimes saying you're sorry is like saying that the other person in the equation has more of a right to be here than you do. Of course, it's true that using the word sorry can simply be an innocuous way of defusing tension. However, if you find that you say sorry all the time, you might want to look a little deeper and see where in your psyche that might be coming from. If it's a pattern, breaking it may simply take some awareness and practice...read more>>>...