Many of my clients engage in People Pleasing.
People Pleasing often stems from anxiety over upsetting or disappointing others.
It’s good to get along with others. However, the desire for acceptance and approval can seem like a need, causing us to over-correct.
One form of over-correction is chronically apologizing, particularly for things that you had no control over.
This habit isn’t helpful:
◾It conveys a lack of confidence
◾It will give the impression of a power imbalance.
◾If you apologize a lot, your apologies will eventually come across as insincere.
◾Excessive apologizing may signal that you depend on validation from others, which will leave you open to manipulation.
To break the apology habit:
✔Start tracking when you’re apologizing unnecessarily and evaluate the situations.
✔Decide what type of responses would be most helpful (staying silent may be the best response).
✔If you decide that speaking would be helpful, rehearse using different words that accurately express what you want to say.
The very best to you all.