 Credit: Style My Soul | www.stylemysoul.com | Apologies "Sorry" Style My Soul Explores …
To provide you with the best advice on how to apologize effectively, we asked professionals for their top etiquette tips. From emphasizing body language in apologies to offering a culinary gesture of apology, here are the eight insightful tips they shared. Emphasize Body Language in Apologies For psychology and emotional intelligence, body language is a silent, yet profound, communicator. Through my experience in life coaching, I’ve realized that our non-verbal cues often bear the weight of our intentions, sometimes even more than what we say. Maintaining eye contact during an apology isn’t just looking at someone; it’s a demonstration that you’re fully present, acknowledging the gravity of your actions, and genuinely seeking understanding. Additionally, having an open posture, without crossing your arms, subtly conveys a willingness to be vulnerable, to learn from your mistakes, and to engage in a meaningful dialogue. - Bayu Prihandito, Psychology Expert, Life Coach, Founder, Life Architekture Express Accountability and Specific Regret When apologizing, I believe it is essential to express sincere regret and to be specific about the offense. This displays your comprehension of the situation and your determination to make amends. Assume you’ve been routinely late for a coffee date with a pal. “I’m truly sorry for always being late to our coffee dates,” you could say. “It’s disrespectful of your time, and I realize that. It won’t happen again.” By addressing the specific behavior and acknowledging its impact, you demonstrate that you are not simply apologizing but taking responsibility for your actions. - Cindi Keller, Communications Coordinator, The Criminal Defense Firm Take Full Responsibility, No Excuses In my experience, the best way to apologize is to take full responsibility for your actions and not make excuses. When I need to apologize, I’ve learned that it’s important to show that I’m truly sorry and understand how my actions affected the other person. I usually start with “I’m sorry,” and then say what I did wrong in an honest and earnest way. It’s important not to try to get out of taking blame by saying things like, “I’m sorry if you were offended.” Instead, I tell them, “I’m sorry for what I did, and I know how it hurt you.” Taking responsibility for my mistakes and showing that I’m ready to make things right has helped me grow up and show respect on my journey. It has also helped me communicate better and make up with people when things get tough. - Tim De Visser, Founder, Karpatia Trucks Present a Future Prevention Strategy An effective way to apologize, in my opinion, is to not only express regret but also present a strategy for how to avoid making the same mistake again. This demonstrates your dedication to personal development and preventing a repeat of the circumstance. Assume you overlooked your partner’s birthday. In this scenario, you could remark, “I’m deeply sorry for forgetting your birthday. I’ve put up reminders, so that this doesn’t happen again. I’ll also prepare a special late-night celebration to make amends.” By providing a realistic strategy for improvement, you demonstrate your commitment to addressing the issue and preventing a recurrence.- Timothy Allen, Sr. Corporate Investigator, Corporate Investigation Consulting Consider Timing and Location of Apology Consider the moment and location while apologizing. I believe that apologizing privately allows for a more sincere and less humiliating dialogue. Furthermore, find a time when the other person is open and not unduly worried or preoccupied. For example, if you need to apologize to a coworker for taking credit for their work, you might wait for an ideal break in the day and invite them to a quiet meeting room. This setting allows for a focused dialogue in which both participants can express themselves without distractions. Being mindful of the moment and location shows that you care about the other person’s comfort and feelings, which increases the impact of your apology. - Tiffany Hafler, Marketing Manager, FORTIS Medical Billing Demonstrate Sincerity and Humility Be sincere, meaningful, thoughtful, and really mean what you say. Do not come across as arrogant; that’s like throwing gas on a fire. Be humble and express your sincerest form of yourself. This is highly successful and has proven to be a strategy that top-level CEOs not only utilize but also consider as the catalyst in good leadership. - Tammy Sons, CEO, TN Nursery Offer a Culinary Gesture of Apology When a situation calls for it, the best way to apologize is the culinary apology. In this apologetic method, you prepare a special meal or bake something good as a sincere gesture of apology. Sharing food you’ve made demonstrates your commitment to making amends by investing time and effort for the person you’ve hurt. It’s a thoughtful way to convey your remorse and show that you value their feelings. - Steven Wright, Co-Founder and Chief Editor, Lifestyle to the MAX
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Healing your inner child can be one of the best gifts you give yourself and therefore your own children. Do you know how often our daily responses come from the wounded child within?
Take a look at the following scenario. Do you recognize yourself in this? You see a friend across the street. They seem to ignore you and just walk further. You feel hurt. You wonder what it is that you have done to offend them. It does not occur to you to simply shout out to them to attract their attention. You feel a bit off for the rest of the afternoon. In this moment, it’s our inner child who feels ignored, taken for granted, unseen, or guilty. If we were present in the moment in our adult self, we would have just observed our friend walking by without acknowledging us. If we wanted to get their attention we would have made sure to attract their attention. If not, we would have been aware of the many good reasons they might have had to be preoccupied or not in a speaking mood, and would not have interpreted it in relation to ourselves and our worth. The psychological mechanism is that as children we have the need for secure attachments, as well as the need to be authentic. In the inevitable clash between the two we surrender our authenticity. As a child you cannot contemplate misattuned parenting. It is better for the attachment relationship if the child misinterprets it as there being something deficient in themselves. That way the parent/caregiver-child relationship is safe. This was a useful survival strategy at the time. The problem is that we continue to subconsciously adopt this strategy as adults. Identifying Our Survival Strategies Identifying our survival strategies is a first step to healing from not having our developmental needs met. With text below you can identify your adaptive survival style. In an attempt to preserve the relational connection with our caregivers, as children we learn to disconnect from our needs and feelings. We develop and use survival strategies. When we continue using these strategies in our adult lives we experience: - Dysregulated emotions, - Negative self-image and - Interpersonal problems Therefore it is important to identify our survival strategies and move beyond them. The following survival styles are patterns of disconnection which we adopt as children in an attempt to get love and feel loved. These survival strategies shape the way we organize, filter and react to our life experience. As you read the descriptions, notice which of these patterns apply to you (and there could be several that you recognize yourself in). They are named after the core developmental needs all children have: Connection: We have a core need to connect. Here, we cannot connect, although we need connection, as we have learnt to reject our core need for connection to Self and others. We feel disconnected from our body and our emotions, we have difficulty relating to others. Children give up their very sense of existence, and disconnect in various ways, such as disassociation or trying to become invisible. This carries on into our adult lives. Attunement: As a child we learned to reject our core need to experience and communicate our needs. We long for attunement as adults but cannot allow it. We have difficulty knowing what we need. We feel that our needs do not deserve to be met. We give up our personal needs in order to focus on the needs of others, and especially the needs of our caregivers/parents. Trust: As children we have learned to reject our core need to trust others and depend on others. We need to be able to trust others but cannot safely trust. We feel we cannot depend on anyone but ourselves. We feel that we need to control relationships. As children we give up our sense of openness and vulnerability, and learn to control our environment, including becoming who our caregivers want us to be. Autonomy: As a child you learn to reject your core need for self-determination and authentic self-expression. We cannot experience our own autonomy, although this is one of our core needs. We feel burdened and pressured. We have difficulty saying “no” and setting limits. We find it difficult to set appropriate boundaries and to speak our mind without feeling fear, shame or guilt. We respond with what we think is expected of us, rather than with authentic self-expression. We give up the sense of self-determination and direct expressions of independence and authenticity. Love/Sexuality: As a child we learn to reject our core need to bring our hearts into a relationship. We need to express and receive love but cannot safely do that. Our sense of self-esteem is based on looks, achievement or performance. We have difficulty integrating our hearts and sexuality. The childhood pattern transfers into adult life: we hope we can win love through performance, achievement or appearance. To find out which adaptive survival strategy you use consider: 1. Do you feel shame at existing, feeling and connecting? (connection) 2. Do you have difficulty in experiencing and communicating needs? (attunement) 3. Do you find it difficult to feel vulnerable, dependent or weak? (trust) 4. Do you feel blocked in your impulses towards self-determination, autonomy and independence? (autonomy) 5. Do you feel shame about sharing your heart or having relational intimacy? (love/sexuality) The survival strategies arise from the clash between attachment and authenticity needs We have two essential needs —for attachment and authenticity — between which there is often a tension or outright conflict. The result of this conflict is a disconnection from the self, what Gabor Mate names “small-t” trauma, in the absence of abuse or overwhelming threat. This is how this essential disconnection from self occurs. Attachment is the drive for closeness/proximity to others, not only in the physical sense but also in the emotional sense. For the human infant as a very dependent being attachment is of primary importance. Without reliable caregivers and our impulse to be close to them, we would simply not survive. Our earliest attachment relationships and the coping styles we develop to maintain them form a template for all our future relationships. The other core need we have is for authenticity. It is the quality of being true to oneself, and the capacity to shape one’s life from a deep knowledge of that self. Like attachment it is a drive rooted in instinct. At its most basic level it is knowing our gut feelings when they arise and following them. As Gabor Mate notes: “A healthy sense of self does not preclude caring for others, or being affected or influenced by them. It is not rigid but expansive and inclusive. Authenticity only dictates that we, not externally imposed expectations, be the true author of and authority on our own life.” (Mate, The Myth of Normal, p.107) What happens if our needs for attachment are imperiled by our authenticity, by our connection to what we truly feel? What if circumstances pitch one nonnegotiable need against the other. These circumstances can take different forms: from family violence, mental health problems, poverty, addiction and the like, but simply not being seen and accepted for who we are is also sufficient for this conflict between authenticity and attachment to arise. And although both needs are essential, there is a hierarchy. In the first part of our life, the need for attachment trumps the need for authenticity. Hiding my feelings, even from myself, is a price we are more than willing to pay for getting our basic needs met. It is important to realize that this abandonment of authenticity for the sake of attachment happens unconsciously. This is what makes it difficult to reverse the process. We cannot decide to abandon such coping mechanisms precisely because we have no memory of them not being there. Shedding Light Through Family Constellations In a family constellation the need for attachment and the loyalty to the previous generations is directly experienced, as are its consequences, including the price we have paid in terms of authenticity. With both needs in consciousness we are in a position to choose and possibly strike a new balance. What family constellations also show us is how embedded this process is in the greater whole of the family system. Our attachment to our caregivers includes a loyalty to the previous generations, taking on the unwritten rules and values of the family system. When in a constellation it becomes clear that the parents were unable to see the (now adult) child for who he or she really was, it is rare that this is the first generation where this happens. Most of the time the same pattern has repeated itself in the two, three or four generations which are revealed in the constellation. The same is true in the case where people have had to abandon their authenticity to such an extent that they are not aware of their feelings. There is often a representative of a parent and a grandparent nodding in recognition — they are equally isolated from their feelings, moving in the world according to “how one is supposed to be”, unable to feel. Some of the most special moments in constellations are those when the representatives of our predecessors for the first time are able to allow the world of emotions to enter their experience. A touching moment, which brings great relief to the person whose constellation it is, with the love between the generations flowing again. Sources: Heller, L., & Kammer, B. J. (2020). The practical guide for healing developmental trauma: Using the neuroaffective relational model to address adverse childhood experiences and resolve complex trauma. W.W. Norton & Company. Heller, L., & LaPierre, A. (2012). Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship. North Atlantic Books. Maté, G., & Maté, D. (2022). The myth of normal: Trauma, illness, and healing in a toxic culture. Avery.  Credit: Style My Soul | www.stylemysoul.com | Nutritious Smoothies Style My Soul Explores …
What is the perfect smoothie recipe that combines taste, nutrition, and digestive benefits? Banana-Ginger-Turmeric Bananas are not only delicious but also packed with essential nutrients like potassium, which plays a crucial role in controlling blood pressure by flushing out excess sodium from your body. Potassium also has the added benefit of relaxing your blood vessel walls, further aiding in lowering blood pressure. Additionally, bananas are rich in prebiotics and fiber, making them excellent for promoting healthy digestion. A nutritious, dairy-free Banana-Ginger-Turmeric smoothie can be a great way to start your day or refuel after a workout. It’s fast to make, tastes great, and is loaded with antioxidants. Most of the nine ingredients are likely already in your kitchen. The ingredients for this delicious smoothie are:
Energizing Morning Boost The Energizing Morning Boost is one of my favorite custom smoothies. Blending a bunch of fresh kale, a ripe banana, a large scoop of plain Greek yogurt, a drizzle of honey from my area, a tablespoon of flaxseeds, and a splash of almond milk is part of my morning routine. This tasty mix not only suits my taste but also fits with my commitment to using local and healthy foods. The kale is a healthy base, and the banana adds a little natural sweetness. Greek yogurt is good for my gut health, flaxseeds add omega-3s, and honey makes it taste better. This customized drink gives me a burst of energy and good nutrition to start my day. - Carl Panepinto, Marketing Manager, Easy Allied Health Green Ginger This is a recipe I use daily for a delicious and nutritious smoothie that is not only tasty but also offers digestive benefits. It is called the Green Ginger Smoothie. Ingredients: 1 cup spinach (fresh or frozen), 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped, 1/2 ripe banana, 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or dairy-free alternative for a vegan option), 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (adjust to taste), 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of your choice), 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional, for added fiber and omega-3s), ice cubes (optional, for a colder and thicker consistency). I prep these ingredients by washing the spinach and cucumber, then peeling and chopping the cucumber and ginger. Make sure your banana is ripe. Then, I place all the ingredients into a blender in the following order: almond milk, spinach, cucumber, banana, ginger, Greek yogurt, honey or maple syrup, and chia seeds. Now, all you need to do is blend away! -Joe Li, Managing Director, CheckYa Green Detox Green Detox Smoothie: Ingredients:
-Aviad Faruz, CEO, Know Mastery Creamy Avocado-Blueberry Blend together avocado, blueberries, spinach, almond milk, and a drizzle of honey to make a creamy avocado-blueberry smoothie. Avocado adds a velvety texture and healthy fats, while blueberries offer antioxidants and spinach provides essential nutrients. The almond milk gives a creamy base, and a touch of honey adds natural sweetness. This smoothie not only tastes great but also provides nutrition from various ingredients. It offers digestive benefits from the fiber in spinach and the healthy fats in avocado. A subtle combination of flavors and textures makes it a refreshing and nutritious choice. - Ben Lau, Founder, Featured SEO Company Pumpkin with Autumnal Flavors Ingredients: Pumpkin puree, banana, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, maple syrup. Benefits: Rich in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. It promotes healthy digestion and offers a taste reminiscent of autumn. This smoothie provides a unique combination of flavors while delivering numerous health benefits. Pumpkin puree is a great source of fiber, aiding in digestion and promoting a feeling of fullness. It also contains vitamins A and C, which support immune function. The spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, add warmth and enhance digestion. Almond milk provides calcium and vitamin E. The sweet touch of maple syrup complements the earthy flavors. To prepare, blend half a cup of pumpkin puree, one ripe banana, one cup of almond milk, a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a tablespoon of maple syrup. Enjoy the warm, comforting taste while nourishing your body and supporting digestive health. - Roy Lau, Co-Founder, 28 Mortgage Refreshing Cucumber-Mint Blend together cucumber, mint leaves, lime juice, honeydew melon, and coconut water to create a cooling and refreshing smoothie. The combination of ingredients not only offers a delightful taste but also aids digestion and promotes hydration. Cucumber is known for its high water content and fiber, promoting healthy digestion. Mint leaves provide a soothing effect on the stomach and can help relieve indigestion. Lime juice adds a touch of tanginess while offering vitamin C, supporting overall immunity. Honeydew melon provides natural sweetness and contains enzymes that aid digestion. Last, coconut water adds hydration and essential electrolytes. This smoothie is a delicious and digestive-friendly option! - Yoana Wong, Co-Founder, Secret Florists |