I stopped apologising for taking up space in sentences where no apology belonged

Dear Delyara, I had not realised how often I was doing it until I really listened to myself. Sorry, can I ask— Sorry, I just wondered— Sorry, could you repeat— Sorry, I need— Sorry, I can’t— Sorry, I disagree— Sorry, this doesn’t work for me— Some of those apologies were appropriate. A lot of them were reflexive smoothing. My body moving toward making itself smaller before anyone else had even implied I was too much. I have started removing them. Thank you for waiting. Could you repeat that? I need a minute. That doesn’t work for me. I disagree. I have a question. The difference is much bigger than grammar. Every unnecessary apology removed is a tiny bit of self-respect returned to the room. I can feel that now. And I don’t want to go back.