Hey everyone. I'm gay. I've finally realized it and come to terms with it, and I want to finally come out of the closet to my friends and family so I don't have to keep living a lie. However, I can't seem to get the words out when I try. I've said it to myself, even looked myself in the mirror while telling myself that I'm gay. But when I try to say it to another person, the words don't come out. I'm very confident that my friends and family would be extremely supportive, so I don't know what's stopping me. Has anyone else experienced this? I'd love to hear anyone's advice as to how I can get over this roadblock and get on with my life. Thank you in advance!
It is completely normal to have mental blocks in such situations. In order to prepare yourself mentally, it would be best to try and steer the conversation to a related topic. That way it will not be so big of a stretch to simply share your orientation with the person in question.
I've had this problem, too. I pretty much lost the ability to speak when I tried to say it the first time. What helped me get past it was to set up a situation where I *had* to say it. I told friends I had something I wanted to talk about ahead of time. Inevitably I stalled like crazy when we actually met up, but eventually they each asked me what it was I wanted to talk about, and that prompted me to force the words out. I've also come out in a short letter via Facebook to a few people, because I didn't know how I'd be able to say "I think I'm gay" aloud to a group, even to my closest friends. That went well, also, and is not a bad option.
