I stopped saying sorry every time I took up space

Dear Delyara, I didn’t realise how often I did it until I started listening to myself properly. Sorry for asking. Sorry for being late. Sorry for needing. Sorry for speaking. Sorry for bothering. Sorry for not knowing. Sorry for taking longer. Sorry for existing in any way that asked another person to adjust, wait, notice, or respond. Some of those apologies were real. A lot of them were conditioning. I have started removing the unnecessary ones. Thank you for waiting. I need a minute. Could you repeat that? I’m not available. I disagree. I have a question. I need help. That change has made me feel less invisible to myself. Less apologetic for the sheer fact of being here. It is astonishing how much self-esteem can return through language alone when you stop framing your own existence as an inconvenience by default.