Recently I've been taking steps to help with self-acceptance in anticipation of coming out. If any of you guys have ideas of things that will help me be more open with myself, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm already out to a few friends, and this year I also went to pride in Dublin. I made a bunch of friends at the parade and we went out on pride night, as well as the night after. More recently I was staying with a friend (bi but leaning towards lesbian) in the city and we decided to go to The George (famous gay bar in Dublin that first opened back when being LGBT was illegal). I had a great night, chatted up a really nice guy and ended up making out with him for ages. Many drink. Much gay. So dancing. Wow. All of these things have really helped me to come to terms with my sexuality. I've known I'm gay for about 3 years now, and seeing what the world is like outside the closet has made me realise how good life could be (I get that it won't all be clubbing and parades) if I just plucked up the courage. If you are, like me, struggling to tell people, then I strongly advise you do something similar.
Hi there! Congratulations on your coming out journey thus far. It sounds like that you are well on your way of becoming more comfortable with yourself and also with letting others know. The things that you have done, such as going to a gay bar, and attending pride will help you to build up some more confidence and strength in being you. What might help as well is being part of a LGBT social or support group, and attending meetings/gatherings on a more regular basis. If there is a social gathering say in a restaurant, or a coffee shop, I would encourage you to join in (if you wanted to). Connecting with others, sharing your own experiences and trying to speak with others could help.
Thanks for the advice. At the moment I'm living in the countryside and there arn't that many LGBT groups in my area. That being said, there are a few networks I could look into in the city. I probably wouldn't be able to make it a regular thing due to transport and the need to keep it on the DL (for now, at least). Still, if it might help, it's worth trying.
