Do not be sorry

As an under-represented person in tech, I used to use "sorry" a lot in my verbal communication.

Over time, I learned to avoid this.

Some examples:

Sorry, I am sick. I need to take a day off.

Do not be sorry if you are sick. When you are sick, you are sick.

Sorry to bother you, but I need help on this one.

If you need help you are not bothering someone. The team is there to support you. Do not "assume" you would be bothering someone if you are stuck and need help. If you do not ask for timely help, you will only end up spending lot of time struggling alone.