Bullying and Trauma Responses: Why You Say “I’m Sorry” Too Much
If you’re someone who says “I’m sorry” all the time, or constantly feels the need to explain yourself… you’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not broken.
These behaviors are often rooted in trauma. In fact, over-apologizing, over-explaining, and oversharing are common trauma responses in people who’ve experienced long-term bullying, especially starting at a young age.
Whether you were bullied at school, gaslit at home, or isolated in the workplace, your nervous system may have learned to survive by becoming smaller. By avoiding conflict. By staying agreeable, even when you were hurting.
These habits don’t come out of nowhere. They are learned behaviors from environments where being “too much” was punished… and being quiet felt like the only way to be safe.
But here’s the truth:
You don’t owe anyone a version of yourself that erases your needs.
The first step to healing is recognizing these survival patterns for what they are, signs that you adapted to unsafe environments.
This video is part of The Echo Movement, a campaign dedicated to exposing the full emotional toll of bullying and advocating for real change.
🧠 Learn more about the Mental Health Impact of Bullying
🔍 Explore the Types of Bullying
⚡ Understand the connection to Reactive Abuse
If this speaks to your experience, we see you. You’re not overreacting. You’re healing.
