This article was co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS. Trudi Griffin is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin specializing in Addictions and Mental Health. She provides therapy to people who struggle with addictions, mental health, and trauma in community health settings and private practice. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011. This article has been viewed 2,432,850 times.

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If you want to apologize for something you said or did, the first step is expressing remorse so the other person knows you genuinely feel bad about what happened. You could say something like, "I'm really sorry about what I said earlier." Accept responsibility and acknowledge that what you did wasn't OK. For example, you could say, "I was definitely in the wrong, and I never should have said those things to you." Then, offer to fix things or make up for what you did. You could offer to do them a favor or even just ask them if there's anything you can do to make it up to them. Finally, you should promise to change your behavior in the future. After you're done apologizing, give the other person a chance to respond. A good apology is a conversation, not a speech, so remember to carefully listen to what the other person has to say. By apologizing the right way and listening to the other person's point of view, you'll have a better chance of moving on and rebuilding your relationship. To learn more from our Counselor co-author, such as the body language you should have while apologizing, keep reading the article!