Whether it’s by a friend, family, or a date, being stood up can make you feel angry. In fact, a lot of people dread the feeling of being stood up. What’s even tougher to deal with is the apologies that you might get later on.
A lot of people ask how to respond to an apology for being stood up? The best way would be to simply accept the apology. You should then proceed to ask if they were held back or not.
That’s not the only way of handling such situations. Stay with us till the end to find out different ways of how you can respond to an apology for being stood up.
Why Have You Been Stood Up?
People tend to think that they’ve been stood up just because they aren’t good enough. Remember that this thought process is completely wrong. There are a ton of things that might be holding the other person back. In fact, even if the person stood you up intentionally, it doesn’t mean you’re not good enough.
In fact, experts suggest that you shouldn’t put too much time into thinking about the reasons behind your being stood up. It’s almost impossible to come to the right conclusions when it comes to stuff like this. So, you’ll only end up wasting your time.
Just keep one thing in mind. No matter who stood you up, just know that it had nothing to do with you being inadequate.
How to Respond to an Apology for Being Stood Up?
Now, it’s not uncommon for people to stand you up once in a while. If the person doesn’t do it frequently, then you should try to forgive them once they apologize.
In this section, we’ll go over a few steps that you can follow if someone has stood you up and apologized afterward.
1. Lighten the Situation Up
If the person who stood you up apologizes, then the chances are that they are ashamed and thinking if the situation is blown or not. Assuming you’re still interested in meeting that person, you should try to depressurize the situation.
This will give the other person the impression that you’re not giving up on one event. So, the chances of the other person approaching to make things better are high.
So, how can you respond in a manner that’ll depressurize the situation? Well, instead of getting passive-aggressive and asking stuff like “Why did you stand me up?”, ask, “What held you back?”
At the end of the day, we’re all human, and we often make mistakes without intention. Showing even the slightest empathy can make a lot of difference in such cases. In fact, this will only create a good impression of you in the receiver’s mind.
2. Give the Person a Way to Make Things Better
Once you’re done lightening the situation up, it’s better if you give the person a way to make it up to you. You could always hint at something that you’d like. For example, if you were about to go see a movie, you can ask if they’d be willing to try that the next day.
In this case, a lot of people make the mistake of asking for impossible things. Instead of handing the other person a long list of actions, just ask for simple things that are affordable. This will allow both parties to enjoy it equally.
3. Observe and Act
After you’re done accepting the apology and everything, it’s time to observe how the other person is behaving. There’s a chance that the person would do all things you expect but not feel sorry for their actions.
However, that’s the most important thing about it. If a person doesn’t feel bad for standing you up, you shouldn’t give that person a second chance. Such people are dismissive and often emotionally imbalanced. If given a chance, you’ll find yourself stood up by them often.
So, it’s better to avoid them altogether, so you don’t have to face these.
Then again, you shouldn’t do anything to trigger a guilt trip in the prospect. There’s no point in the guilt if it doesn’t come naturally.
What Not to Do If You’ve Been Stood Up?
If you’ve been stood up, don’t call or text the prospect incessantly. Yes, you have the right to text the person who stood you up. However, doing so won’t look good.
We recommend texting or calling the prospect after 10 to 15 minutes of waiting. You can test to check if the person will be able to attend or not. If they don’t reply, you should just leave the place.
How to Rebound Easily from Being Stood Up?
The rest of your day isn’t necessarily ruined if you’ve been stood up by someone. Here are some things that you can do if you face such a situation –
1. Call Some Friends
You can always call other friends or family and hang out with them. We highly recommend doing this as it’ll remind you how much you’re worth to other people. This might just keep you from going into a downward spiral.
2. Plan Something Fun for Yourself
Try not to dwell on the fact that you’ve been stood up. Human beings tend to forget negative events once they’re exposed to positivity. So, plan ahead and make sure you’re exposed to positivity.
Conclusion
So, how do you respond to an apology for being stood up? As you can see, there’s more to this discussion than the response. How you act afterward will have a great impact on the consequences.
So, we highly recommend you plan ahead and fixate on what you’re expecting out of the scenario.
