You know things are bad when someone asks, "why are you sorry?" and you genuinely don't have an answer.
To most people, that statement probably sounds ludicrous, but it's a question that I'm asked almost daily.
There are, most definitely, worse problems to have. But saying sorry an unreasonable amount can become an issue, nevertheless.
Most people use the words "um," "like," and "so" as filler words. When did sorry become a filler word? If I'm not apologizing for hurting, offending or excluding you, then why am I apologizing?
PSA: my excessive use of the word is just as annoying for you as it is for me.
Half the time, I won't have an answer to your question "why are you sorry?" but I will tell you this:
A lot of highly anxious people are known for saying sorry too much. Anxiety is when your brain works on overtime, just thinking and thinking until your head hurts. With all that thinking comes doubts and worries over the smallest things. I'll say sorry if I think I have offended someone in the slightest way. I'll say sorry because I feel like I could have said or done something better. I'll say sorry because I don't want to be too much. I never want to be the girl who talks too much, complains too much, asks for too much, and so forth.
Yet, I've become the one who says sorry too much.
How one is raised definitely has a lot to do with this. From a very young age, I was always taught to be polite, say please and thank you, and apologize if I did something wrong. I've always been sensitive and was good at putting myself in other peoples' shoes, even as a kid. Still, overusing the word sorry was never an issue when I was growing up.
It slowly started in high school, probably because this is the time when we become more aware (self-aware as well as aware of others).
There have been times when people around me were so intrinsically focused that they didn't apologize for things when they should have. Since I'm fairly observant and sensitive, I tend to take note of these events subconsciously. I guess somewhere along the way I realized I would rather say sorry too much than be the girl who never apologizes.
With that being said, I'm aware that there is a balance. One way to help cure the "sorry syndrome" is to start replacing the word "sorry" with more specific phrases. Changing your wording around can make all the difference. Instead of saying "sorry for rambling so much," I should say something like "thank you so much for listening to me." This may seem like the simplest task, but for some reason, the sorry syndrome is harder to cure than you would think!
Saying sorry too much is a problem, and I know it, but the important part is that I've noticed it and am taking the steps to fix it.
